Peshawar to have zoo, heritage centre

PESHAWAR: Commissioner Peshawar, Muhammad Azam Khan, Wednesday said the establishment of a heritage centre and zoos was under consideration in the provincial metropolis.

Speaking on the ‘Guest Hour’ programme of the Peshawar Press Club, Azam said the city had no zoo and he had plans to establish the same in Peshawar and construct a heritage centre on the lines of Lok Virsa at Gorghatri. He said that Peshawar, being one of the oldest cities, had rich culture and history and the proposed Lok Virsa could be one of the best in Pakistan.

Talking about his priorities, the commissioner said a better traffic system; price-control and removal of encroachments were at the top of his agenda. He said these were considered to be minor issues but they were badly affecting routine life. He added that if these problems were solved, the people would see a positive change.

Peshawar Development Authority Director General Qazi Muhammad Laiq, who accompanied the commissioner, said they would also initiate mega projects to ensure signal-free traffic system. He said new fly-overs and underpasses would be constructed to achieve the target.

The commissioner said the devolution plan was launched with sincerity but it has some lacunas that were more evident in NWFP. Azam said under the devolution plan, there was no link between NWFP and Fata, which aggravated law and order. He said the district governments had also failed to check the prices effectively.

About the restoration of magistracy system, he said criminal cases would be disposed of by the magistrates to ensure speedy justice. The commissioner said he had directed all magistrates to dispose of cases within four months. The aggrieved party, he added, would have two forums up to the commissioner level to challenge the verdict of a magistrate. “However, appeals at the two forums will take only a month time to decide the case,” he added.

The PDA director general and the commissioner assured journalists that work on the media colony would soon be started and better roads, sewerage and drainage systems would be built.