PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Wednesday announced bifurcation of Malakand division into two separate administrative divisions.

A statement issued here said that chairing a consultative meeting on Annual Development Programme (ADP) for Malakand division, he asked elected representatives of the region to mutually consult and finalise modalities in that regard.

Members of national and provincial assemblies from Malakand division and relevant officials attended the meeting.

Mr Gandapur said that Malakand was a vast and mountainous area. For the convenience of people, it was necessary to divideMalakand into two divisions. `Smaller administrative units will enhance service delivery and improve governance,` he added.

The elected representatives of Malakand division welcomed the chief minister`s announcement, stating that it was a longstanding demand of people.

The meeting also reviewed progress on current Annual Development Programme for Malakand division.

Earlier, the chief minister also chaired a meeting related to development programmes of departments of forests and environment, minerals, law andjustice,transport, and labour. Relevant cabinet members, chief secretary, additional chief secretary and other officials attended the meeting.

The progress on schemesunder ongoing development programme was reviewed, and proposed schemes for inclusion in next ADP were discussed in the meeting.

The chief minister said that schemes nearing completion and flagship projects should be completed on time. He noted that schemes with 80 percent or more physical progress were being fully funded.

Detailed discussions were held on proposed projects for the upcoming ADP and instructions were issued to finalise them. The chief minister said that realistic and viable development schemes should be included in the new ADP. He emphasised that departments should prioritise major public interest projects over minor initiatives.

He stressed the need for swift implementation of Billion Tree Plus Programme, terming it a flagship initiative of the provincial government.

He said that implementation of the programme should begin at the very start of the new fiscal year.

`We are investing substantial resources to enhancetheforestcoverof the province; therefore, no delay in the execution of this project will be tolerated,` he said.

The chief minister ordered officials to take practical steps to harness the potential of carbon credits in the province. He agreed in principle to include solar tubewell pro-jects in next ADP to support afforestation and said that feasibility studies for those projects should be conducted in the first phase.

The meeting also considered projects for value chain development of local honeybees and establishment of herbal markets across the province. The chief minister highlighted the significant potential of medicinal herbs in the province and stated that the basic objective was to benefit people.

The meeting also gave in-principle approval to include a project in next ADP for establishment of a safari park in Misri Banda, Nowshera. The chief minister said that appropriate funds should be allocated for the execution of the project.

He said that provincial government wanted to complete mega public welfare projects within the next two to three years.

For this purpose, all departments must initiate timely implementation of their respective schemes.

`The provincial government is investing significant resources and benefits must reach people without delay,` he added.