Tenders for Express Highway to be floated soon-PA told

 PESHAWAR, Sept 4 (APP)  :Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly was Tuesday
informed that tenders for mega project, Express Highway, will be floated soon and government has already paid Rs. 1.4 billion to land owners for construction of road.
 This was said by Provincial Minister for Information, Mian Iftikhar
Hussain while speaking in response to a call attention notice in provincial assembly.
 Federal Minister for Communication, Arbab Alamgir was also present in
the house and informed assembly that a briefing by National Highway Authority (NHA) has been arranged for MPAs on Wednesday morning in the provincial assembly.
 Provincial Minister for Information, Mian Iftikhar Hussain said an
amount of Rs. 400 million is pending which will soon be issued by federal government for paying to some land owners.
 He said as the process of payment to land owners is completed NHA will
float tenders for the project.
 Earlier, MPA Javed Abbasi of PML(N) raised the issue of delay in
construction of Express Highway in the house while speaking on a call attention notice.
 Javed Abbasi said this project is of prime importance and will benefit
five districts of Hazara region with rest of the country. The project, he continued, is also of much importance because it will improve road link between other areas of the country with historic Silk route.
 Meanwhile, Provincial Minister for Information, Mian Iftikhar Hssain
while speaking in response to a point of order said the provincial government will set up Tanawal district in Hazara division on such an area which is not objectionable to any one.
 He said government has decided to establish Tanawal district while
taking people of all costs into confidence. The Chief Minister, he added, had promised people of Tanoli cost that a separate district would be set up for them on an area which is not objectionable to any one. We do not want to hurt the feeling anyone on this issue, he added.
 However, Mian Iftikhar added establishment of Tanawal district will take
time because government cannot start work over it before completion of fresh census.
 Mian Iftikhar Hussain, while speaking on another point, issued strict
directives to employees of four Towns of Peshawar to taking measures on emergency basis to keep the drains clean. He said presently monsoon rains are in progress and all the drains and nullahs are required to be clean to avoid water clogging.
 Speaker Kiramatullah Khan was chairing the session who later adjourned
the proceedings for Friday evening.