PESHAWAR: Under its 10-year plan, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has identified various sites of water resources for installation of power generation units in Malakand division, particularly in Upper Dir and L ower Dir, where 30,000 megawatts of electricity can easily be generated.

This was disclosed by provincial senior minister Inayatullah Khan while speaking as chief guest at the oath-taking ceremony of Dir Officers Welfare Association (DOWA) here.

He said that the sites of various mines and minerals, including gold, silver, bronze, emerald, gypsum and marbles, had also been identified during surveys to be exploited through scientific means to bring the under-developed districts at par with developed areas.

He said that protection of forests and development of agriculture was also part of the plan, adding that several uplift schemes, including construction of roads, and educational institu-tions, had been approved to facilitate the people of Dir districts.

Provincial finance minister Muzaffar Said, MNA Tariqullah and MPA Saeed Gul were also present on the occasion. DOWA`s president Qazi Mohammad Naeem and general secretary Dr Ilyas Syed talked about objectives of the association.

Hundreds of officers belonging to Dir, working in various departments, attended the function.

Mr Inayat urged the officers to use their skills for uplift of the public, prepare proposals for assisting the government in initiation of various developmental projects and make both Dir districts as model areas. The new office-bearers vowed to serve the people of Dir irrespective of their political affiliations.

Onthisoccasion,Muzaffar Said announced to financially support Mohammad Qadir, a handicapped student of the engineering university who uses his leg to write.Bureau Report