PESHAWAR: A meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly`s standing committee on culture, tourism and archaeology was held at the assembly`s secretariat here on Tuesday.

Committee chairperson Sharafat Ali chaired the meeting, which was attended by MPAs Samiullah Khan, Arbab Mohammad Usman, Zar Alam Khan, Murtaza Khan Tarakai and Rajab Ali Khan Abbasi, senior officials from the culture, tourism and archaeology department, and representatives of other relevant departments.

The committee discussed the ongoing issues affecting the performance of the tourism department, especially the overlapping of rules and responsibilities with the forest, local government and environment departments.

Members expressed concern over a lack of coordination among departments, which has been hampering effective planning and execution of tourism initiatives across the province.

The committee emphasised the need for institutional clarity and interdepartmental coordination to enhance efficiency and avoid duplication of work.

It directed the relevant departments to submit a comprehensive plan within 15 days, clearly outlining solutions to the role overlapping issue.

Members said the plan should focus on creating a coordinated framework that facilitated smooth functioning and clearly defined the responsibilities of each department.

They warned that if the plan wasn`t produced, they would ensure resolution of the issue by themselves.

The committee issued directions for upgrading infrastructure and basic facilities at tourist sites, ensuring tourist safety, promoting environmentally sustainabletourismin collaboration with the environment department, and initiating awareness campaigns to attract visitors from within the country and abroad. APP