PESHAWAR, April 27: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to set up an autonomous authority within a year for ensuring smooth provision of drinking water and sewerage and sanitation services in Peshawar.

According to a handout, Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti gave approval for establishment of the authority during a meeting here on Wednesday. Currently municipal services are being provided by the administrations of four towns and the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA).

“The autonomous authority will function on the pattern of Lahore Development Authority (LDA),” officials told Dawn . Concerned authorities have been asked to prepare proposals in consultation with all stakeholders for finalisation of all matters in this connection.

Those who attended the meeting included senior ministers Rahim Dad Khan and Bashir Ahmad Bilour, Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Sports Minister Aqil Shah, administrative secretaries of home, finance, law, establishment, administration, C&W, Public Health Engineering, housing and irrigation, and director general PDA.

The chief minister had earlier formed a committee for devising a plan to ensure provision of drinking water in Peshawar. The committee chairman, Arbab Mohammad Arif, briefed the meeting about the objectives and working of the autonomous authority. The meeting reviewed the recommendations of the committee and approved creation of the authority.

The officials said that the authority would start functioning within a year. “Consultations are in progress concerning the status of officials of the four towns and PDA, which are currently providing municipal services and it could be done within a period of one year”, he said.

Chairing another meeting, the chief minister directed timely completion of ongoing schemes under the provincial developmental strategy. He said that the development budget was suspended in the wake of flood devastation, but now work on new schemes had been started.

Matters pertaining to the current year's Annual Development Programme and progress on new development projects were also discussed during the meeting.