Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Non-initiation of construction work on Peshawar Expo Centre (PEC) has caused grave concern among the traders community. The project was approved nine months back but construction work has not been started so far owing to lack of interest by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government. The CDWP had approved Rs 2.5 billion project on August 25, 2015, and Rs 500 million were allocated for this project in the budget for the current financial year. Modern facilities were to be provided in PEC so that international investors could be attracted to make investment in KP and exhibition could be held therein. Sources told daily Times that KP government had agreed to provide 40 acres of land for construction of the expo centre, but no progress has been made in this respect. No funds have been released by federal government for this project due to which PEC project seems to have been shelved. Traders community is of the view that with the construction of this centre they will be able to export their products to Central Asian states. This project will also generate opportunities of employment and business for the people of KP. In case no interest is taken in completion of this project, it will cause colossal loss to national exchequer, traders observed.