NWFP receives encouraging signals from Centre for uplift schemes

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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To often we see friction between the provincial and federal governmentts, especially if they are led by opposing political parties. But this is an example of where the MMA government of NWFP and PML (QA)-led government at the center have quite cordial relations and crucially over the distribution of development funds.

NWFP receives encouraging signals from Centre for uplift schemes

NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani on Monday revealed that the provincial government was receiving encouraging signals from the federal government for various development projects in NWFP, which he termed a good omen for creating workable relations with the Centre. The chief minister was talking to a 20-member delegation of Malik Darar Jando Khel, Noor Mali and Kot Behram Shah at Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Peshawar, says a handout. The chief minister assured that the provincial exchequer was a trust with the government, which would ensure that every penny was spent for the welfare and prosperity of the people. A new approach, he added has been evolved to bring the factor of transparency in the developmental strategy, as our main concern is to ensure judicious spending of the provincial resources enabling each part of the province to emulate the developed ones in the social services.

Referring to the road communication network, the chief minister said that its importance in the economic growth couldn’t be ignored. The present government was going all out to spread a network of roads from fields to markets in addition to widening and repair of main highways that would open up new vistas of development. He said that the developmental process would continue. He had sanctioned various developmental schemes during his visits to almost 14 districts of the province that would be a part of annual development programme. He said the federal government had agreed to construct Bannu-Ghulam Khan Road that will link Punjab, Frontier and neighbouring country Afghanistan with a new and accessible route for facilitating transportation of goods and services to the Central Asian Republics. He was optimistic that this would generate economic activity. Our indigenous production would get exposure to international market and ultimately the locals in terms of better employment opportunities etc would reap the fruits. He had given sanction for a Model School in Bannu to enable the poor students to get access to quality education. Such an approach would be for all districts of the province, he assured.

He said that Sui gas facility was being extended to six northern districts which would be further expanded to the entire province as the gas reserves in Gurgari and Shakardar were more than the requirements of the entire province. He said a park at the chunk of land set aside for the construction of District Jail was being constructed. The chief minister directed to prepare estimate for the widening, repair and black topping of road from Nizam Bazar to Kotli Saadat, Kota Behram Shah, Noor Mali and Jando Khel. The chief minister agreed for extension in the telephone exchange of Jundo Khel adding that the new electricity transmission line from Dawood Khel to Bannu was being laid that would resolve the electricity problem in the area on permanent basis.

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:jhanda: Increasing provincial harmony, brotherhood and love!!!

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PA witnesses heated debate on hydel

profit power generation issue

PESHAWAR: The Provincial Assembly which met here on Wednesday with Bakht Jahan Khan in the chair witnessed heated debate by the opposition and treasury benches on the issue of net profit on hydel power generation.

Parliamentary leaders of the opposition parties while assuring their full support to the MMA government told the House that the provincial government should ask the federal government to pay the NWFP its net profit on hydel power generation according to A G N Kazi formula.

Taking the floor first, parliamentary leader of PPPP, Abdul Akbar Khan termed the net profit on hydel power generation a backbone for the province’s economic development and asked the House to adopt a clear stand and policy to raise the issue with the federal government for its permanent solution.

He told that the NWFP meets its 90 per cent resources from the federation and as such it always faced a lot of difficulties to meet its developmental needs because there are no others sources in the province to generate revenue.

The PPPP leader said we are left with nothing for development after deducting non development expenditures and added that as the population increases the resources decreases therefore, the amount of Rs six billion net profit should be paid according to A G N Kazi formula.

He said according to 1973 constitution, the revenue, after deducting the generation and distribution cost, should be paid to the provinces concerned where the power generation stations were existed.

Abdul Akbar Khan said that besides Warsak, Dargai, Kuram Garhi and Jaban power houses Tarbela power station alone generates 14822 MW electricity, which is 31 per cent of the total generation of WAPDA. He said these power generation units produced 16 billion units’ electricity.

He said Tarbela dam irrigated 9 million acre land of Punjab and Sindh while there is no relief for the people of NWFP, adding that no proper attention is being given to the rising silt in the reservoir of the dam which in the only source of revenue of the province.

Parliamentary leader of PML-N Anwar Kamal Khan said that the provincial own receipts stood at ten percent while the rest 90 per cent injected in the NWFP budget by the federal Government, adding that our budget totally depends on the net profit of hydel power generation.

He said the NWFP is rich in natural resources but even then the basic problems are still not resolved. He suggested that," we have to launch collective struggle for the attainment of provincial rights from the centre."

He said that after the defence budget of 62 percent and debt services we received only 37 percent. He said the NWFP was not compensated after the destruction of its infrastructures by the presence of three million Afghan refugees on its soil.

He suggested that the provincial government should demand Rs 20 billion from the centre to construct the infrastructure of the province badly damaged due to the presence of Afghan refugees.

The PML-N legislator also criticised capping of net profit at Rs six billion by the centre while according to him as per A G N Kazi formula the net profit should register ten percent rise per year.

He assured the MMA government all out supports by the opposition benches and threatened that for attaining the provincial rights we will not hesitate to tendering resignations.

He told the that the province was rich in natural resources and can generate up to 36000 MW electricity from the Indus river alone but due to lack of expertise in the field the great potential is going waste. He suggested that the centre should provide expert facilities to tap the hydel power potential.

Parliamentary leader of ANP Bashir Ahmed Bilour said government should adopt a clear policy on getting the rights of the province, adding that having rich in natural resources we are still facing with hardships and our 35000 youth were doing labour work in Karachi.

About the industrial sector, he said, 80 percent units are closed while the state of tourism and mineral resources are at shamble due to lack of proper planning. He suggested that if we believed in strong federating units then there should be only four departments lift with the centre. He demanded royalty on the 11000-cosec feet water of the NWFP used by the Punjab and Sindh.

It is clearly mentioned in the 1973 constitution to transfer the net profit to the province where the power generation unit is existed, he said and adding that despite the factor the province did not receive any amount during 1973 to 1990.

Sikandar Khan Sherpao of PPP-S said that all the fears about the NFC award and net hydel profit should be removed in the new NFC award. He complained that the NWFP was always deprived of its constitutional right of net hydel power generation. He extended all out support to the MMA Government in its fights against the provincial rights.

He also called for the construction of small dams in the province so as to meet the financial requirements of the province without dependent on the centre. Maulana Asmat Ullah Khan of MMA also spoke on the issue. Speaker Bakht Jahan Khan adjourned the session till tomorrow morning at 9:30 am.