Lowari Tunnel project: government asked to release funds for initiating construction work

Convenor Tanzeem-e-Haqooqe Chitral and former MNA Abdul Akbar Chitrali has asked the federal government for immediate release of required funds to initiate construction work on Lowari Tunnel project, otherwise they would launch agitation campaign against it.
Addressing at a news conference, here at Peshawar Press Club on Monday, he said that the construction work had suspended for the last one year due to non-payment of funds to Korean construction company Sambo. Flanked MPA in Khyber Pakhtunkwa legislative assembly, Ghulam Mohammad, he said that government had allocated 17 billion for the mega developmental project in Chitral, but only 0.6 million funds released so far. He further said that the government had earmarked Rs 0.1 billion in upcoming financial year, which was inadequate to complete the project in stipulated period.
Akbar Chitrali demanded of the government to immediate release 70 million arrears to the Korean construction company along with additional allocation of 4.5 billion to resume construction work on the project. He said if government fails to release funds by July-01, they have opened all options to fulfil their legitimate demand. He expressed deep concern over scrapping of contract with the Korean construction company, and said that the move was totally injustice and unfair, saying that it would hinder development pace in the Chitral.
He said they would launch a protest campaign against any further delay in release of funds and hold a long march to Islamabad, and observe hunger strike camps and sit-in in front of parliament. He informed that a meeting of Tehreek-e-Taqmeel Lowari Tunnel would hold a emergency meeting on July-04 to chalk out a plan for the protest drive. Ghulam Mohammad, a provincial legislator in Khyber Pakhtunkwa Assembly said that the Lowari Tunnel project has great merit and importance, saying that the project will bring prosperity and development in the Chitral.