Faiza Tehseen

Pakistan has a host of places awaiting transformation into attractive tourist spots to bring sizable revenues to its depleting coffers. Ganool in Mansehra district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is one such area that can be turned into an attractive tourist destination, a senior official of the KP Culture and Tourism Authority (CTA) told WealthPK. Pleading anonymity as he was not authorized to speak, the official said the KP government had included Ganool in its plan of integrated tourism zones (ITZs) which will open portals of socio-economic development in the region. “Ganool is one of the ITZs in KP launched to promote the tourism industry for national socio-economic interest. In future, it will prove as a sustainable source of income for people, especially those related to Ganool and its vicinities.

If the tourism policy faced no major changes in the next financial year, it will come into operation. It is a broader concept and may take a little longer to complete, but thousands of people will benefit from its socioeconomic outcomes,” said the official. ITZ Ganool is divided into seven main zones, i.e. the Central Village Zone, Destination Zone, Northern Accommodation Zone, Southern Accommodation Zone, Transportation Zone, Northern Accommodation Zone B, and Southern Accommodation Zone B. Each zone consists of 3 to 4 interrelated components with full guidance and recreational facilities, e.g. visitor center, hospitality, club, cable car, eco-lodge, etc. The government envisions KP as the tourism province of Pakistan.

To promote this sector, the KP Tourism Act 2019 has completely revamped the institutional structure by constituting the CTA. The main focus was on enhancing the socio-economic growth of cities, towns, and villages located outside/far away from the urban localities. The CTA will provide land to the developer and they will work jointly to provide utilities in the ITZs, while the government will ensure road infrastructure up to the zero point. Continuing the discussion, the official said that the CTA was keen to turn Ganool into a caravanserai (for both local and international tourists), a hub of cultural activities and a scenic hot spot for shopping, recreation, and tourism. It can be accessed through both land and air routes.

“ITZ Ganool is located in the Hazara Division of KP and spans over 60 acres with an expected gross floor area of 35% to 45% (all the developments here will be designed by keeping in view the CTA considerations and local bylaws). “Many other tourist spots are also located on the outskirts of Ganool, i.e. Saif ul Malook Lake, Dudipatsar Lake, Pyala Lake, Shogran, Siri Paye, Kaghan Valley, etc. To make this project more result-oriented, the KP government has invited public-private partnerships. In this concern, the government arranged a three-day training workshop for all stakeholders in September 2022,” said the official.

“The role of developers was very well-defined during this session and multiple nooks of development were shared with the participants, i.e. master planning (according to the bylaws and other CTA considerations), development of initial infrastructure within ITZs (related to the construction of roads, drainage/other in-kind utilities), plotting, tourism development (directly or through sub-lease), eco-system maintenance/development in ITZs etc,” he said.

“To promote the ITZs, some laws and law provisions will have no jurisdiction there, i.e. KP Urban Immovable Property Tax Act 1958 KP River Protection Ordinance 2002, KP Forest Ordinance 2002, KP Food and Safety Authority Act 2014; KP Environmental Protection Act 2014; KP Wildlife and Biodiversity (Protection, Preservation, Conservation, and Management) Act 2015 and KP Mineral Sector Governance Act, 2017,” he said. The government will notify the provisions from time to time under the KP Local Government Act 2013, added the CTA official.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk