Widening of Lowari Tunnel approved

ISLAMABAD, Nov 1: The federal government has approved the widening of the road inside the Lowari Tunnel by 7.3 metres. The work on tunnel expansion was initiated from October 9 this year, officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA) told Federal Minister for Communications Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan Khalil on Wednesday.  The briefing, which was held at the NHA headquarters, was attended, among others, by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Population Welfare Saleem Khan, Federal Secretary Communications Anwaar Ahmad Khan, Chairman of the NHA Mohammad Javed Iqbal Awan, Member, Construction, Yusuf Ali Khan and a representative of the Korean construction Company, Sambo. Participants of the meeting were informed that the project would be completed at a cost of Rs 18.13 billion. According to the NHA officials, till now, Rs 7.28 billion had already been spent on the project. Highlighting the project’s importance, the Federal Minister said that the Ministry of Communications was utilising all available resources for the project’s completion. He said that for this purpose, NHA had engaged a world reputed Korean company called Sambo while consultants had been hired from Austria and Spain. He said that after the completion of the project, Lowari Tunnel would allow easy access to the Central Asian Republics, besides establishing land routes with other neighbouring countries. According to him, the project would help promote trade, industry and tourism, besides ushering in economic stability in the region. The provincial Minister for Population Welfare, who represents Chitral district in the provincial assembly, declared Lowari Tunnel a lifeline for the people of Chitral and Malakand division.—Business Recorder]]>