: KP CM Inaugurates 40.8MW Koto Hydropower Project, Unveils Major Road Scheme in Dir Lower

Independent Report

Peshawar / Dir Lower — November 15:

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Saturday paid a day-long visit to District Dir Lower, where he inaugurated the newly completed 40.8 Megawatt Koto Hydropower Project, constructed at a cost of Rs 21.7 billion.

 

According to project briefings, the hydropower scheme will generate 207 million units of electricity annually, expected to yield Rs 2.4 billion in revenue each year. The Chief Minister also inaugurated the 18.5-kilometre Tormang–Razgram Road, completed with an investment of Rs 1.5 billion.

 

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, CM Afridi stated that the provincial government is advancing a long-term strategy to make hydropower the backbone of economic growth in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said clean, affordable, renewable energy projects will significantly support job creation, industrial expansion, and sustainable development.

 

He added that work is underway on the province’s first-ever 120-kilometre power transmission line, which will enable evacuation and supply of electricity from 11 local hydropower stations to industries. Locally generated electricity, he said, will be provided to industries at concessional rates, as boosting industrial activity is crucial for reducing unemployment.

 

The Chief Minister said the provincial government is fully committed to establishing its own power distribution system, ensuring that “the people of KP have the first right over the province’s natural resources.”

 

Expressing concern, Sohail Afridi said foreign engineers working on development projects are unable to visit the province due to delays in issuance of NOCs, resulting in costly project delays. “This loss is not only to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but to the entire country,” he remarked.

 

Speaking about former Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said:

“Imran Khan has always had genuine concern for the people. I feel proud when I see the projects he initiated purely for public welfare, without caring who would inaugurate them later.”

 

CM Afridi reiterated that the federal government owes KP Rs 3 trillion, pending for several years and essential for the province’s development.

 

PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar and elected representatives from Dir Lower attended the ceremony.