PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Saturday laid the foundation stone of Jalozai Barani dam in Nowshera.

According to a handout issued here, the dam will irrigate thousands of acres of land and thus, promoting seasonal crops and horticultures in the area.

`The dam will also introduce fish farming, increase environmental and tourist attraction, and enhance job opportunities in the area,` it added.Provincial irrigation minister Mehmood Khan, excise minister Mian Jamsheduddin Kakakhel, advisers to the chief minister Amjad Afridi and Mian Khaliqur Rehman Khattak, MNA Dr Imran Khattak and notables from the area were present on the occasion.

The irrigation department officials told the chief minister that currently, Rs50 million had been allocated for the Rs632.15 million annual development plan scheme to be completed in two years.

They said the scheme would be a useful irrigation source for 63 years.

According to them, the dam will be 958 feet long and 74 feet high and will have the capacity to store 1,277 acres feet. The additional flood water will be detoured through the adjacent spillways.

The officials said on completion of the project,insured perennial irrigation supply would be provided tobarren yet fertile lands measuring around 900 acres.

They said the dam would bring prosperity to the area by introducing new trends of agricultural produces and would improve the local residents` socioeconomic conditions.

The chief minister directed the authorities to ensure the timely yet quality completion of the project.

`The project will greatly help restore the people`s confidence in institutions, which has been shattered due to the past corruption of the departments concerned and substandard work,` he said.

The chief minister said conspiracies against the PTI-led coalition government would be a total failure.

`PTI chairman Imran Khan and my government are working for the rights of the people. When the intriguers and opposition parties found nothing against us, they began level-ing baseless allegations against us to keep themselves in politics.

However, all that failed as people are with us and the opposition will learn about it in the next local body elections,` he said.

Mr Khattak said a new era of corruption-free and welfare-oriented good governance was ushering in the province, which would improve the lot of the poor people.

He said his government would end adhocism in all its departments, while everything would be managed through a proper mechanism to be protected by proper legislation.

`The legislative cover will ensure that the mechanism is not done away with in future,` he said.

He said he would bring his home district on speedy road to progress and prosperity but that won`t happen at the cost of other districts.

`I will ensure uniform development all over the province,` he said.