PESHAWAR:
In a bid to boost the tourism sector, which has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the provincial chief executive ordered to accelerate efforts to open the new provincial tourism authority.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan issued the orders while presiding over the 22nd board meeting of the Tourism Corporation of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (TCK-P).
CM Mahmood ordered to immediately finalize the formalities for opening the new KP Cultural Tourism Authority.
The chief minister also ordered to take steps to liquidate TCK-P and hand over its assets and liabilities to the Culture and Tourism Authority. TCK-P employees will be absorbed by the authority, he added.
The chief minister termed tourism as a major economic sector and said its promotion was a top priority of his government.
The meeting was briefed on the progress made so far in the liquidation of TCK-P after the establishment of the Culture and Tourism Authority, as provided for in the KP Culture and Tourism Act, 2019.
The meeting decided to constitute a committee headed by KP Additional Chief Secretary Shakil Qadir to streamline and expedite all legal, administrative and financial matters regarding the liquidation of TCK-P in the prescribed manner.
The committee would draft and present its recommendations to the relevant forum within a week. The other members of the committee would be the finance secretary, legal secretary, tourism secretary and establishment secretary.
KP Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz, Additional Chief Secretary Shakil Qadir, Finance Secretary Atif Rehman, Tourism Secretary Khushal Khan and TCK-P Managing Director Junaid Khan, board members private sector administration and other concerned officials attended the meeting.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th2020.