The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has inaugurated a key segment of the Peshawar Ring Road project, completing a missing link in the northern section as part of ongoing urban infrastructure development.
Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi formally inaugurated Package One of the Northern Section, under which a 2.1-kilometre stretch has been completed at a cost of Rs. 2 billion.
He said that work on the remaining packages of the ring road is progressing, while the feasibility study for the proposed Outer Ring Road project is also nearing completion.
Addressing the ceremony, the chief minister said the Rs. 200 billion Peshawar Revitalisation Plan is a comprehensive development initiative focused on urban improvement and modern facilities, adding that projects worth Rs. 171 billion have already been approved under the plan.
He said the provincial government has delivered major projects, including the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Peshawar, and is continuing efforts to improve infrastructure in the provincial capital.
He said Peshawar, as the provincial capital, reflects the overall image of the province and rejected allegations of corruption in development projects, stating that any evidence should be presented for action.
The chief minister also raised concerns over federal financial distribution, saying the province is not receiving its due share under the National Finance Commission (NFC). He said that if the NFC formula is revised, the province’s share could increase from 14.6 percent to 19 percent.
He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produces around 400 MMCFD of gas daily, of which about 150 MMCFD is consumed locally, while the remainder is supplied to other parts of the country despite constitutional provisions on resource rights.
