The Joint Action Committee on Wapda affairs in Fata has unanimously declared that the only way to settle the row between the authority and Fata.
However, it decided that a strategy and action plan would be chalked out in consultation with the elected representatives and political agents to be implemented in a shortest possible time.
The maiden meeting of the Joint Action Committee was held here at the Governor House on Monday, with the NWFP Governor Lieutenant General Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah (Retd) in the chair.
Federal Minister for Water and Power Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, Chairman Wapda, Tariq Hamid and members of the committee including Fata Senator Malik Mohammad Ajmal Khan, Fata MNAs Maulana Noor-ul-Haq Qadri and Munir Khan Orakzai also attended the meeting, which dwelt at length on materialisation drive in Fata, besides the improvement of service delivery system and mode of collection of Wapda dues.
The Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah briefed the meeting about the circumstances, under which the Joint Action Committee was constituted to settle the issue.
Referring to the outstanding issue of recovery of Wapda dues, said, no doubt, it is an old as well as important issue, but we have to settle it down at every cost.
The status quo could not be maintained any more as it would hamper the entire system, the governor remarked, saying, improper and inadequate recovery of Wapda dues would certainly bring down further investment and development in this vital sector.
He said that the basic aim of forming the Joint Action Committee was to sort out practicable and acceptable solution to the problem.
However, he said, the judicious way of settlement is materialisation which would ensure electricity payments according to actual consumption.
Federal Minister for Water and Power, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, speaking on the occasion urged the need to motivate the tribesmen for materialisation, which is a policy decision of the government.
He in this connection urged the Fata elected representatives to help the government in moulding the public opinion in its favour. "We aim to reach a consensus on a practicable solution of the issue", he said.
Earlier, Chairman Pesco, Brigadier Tahir Saeed Malik in a presentation highlighted the organisational structure of Tribal Electricity Supply Company (Tesco) besides the efforts to improve the Wapda infrastructure in Fata and other development works.
He said that under a system augmentation programme for Fata, 29 development schemes are going on costing Rs 156.3 million.
The Fata, he added is being supplied electricity though 36 grid stations and 108 feeders, whereas the number of consumers to Fata has reached 244 thousand. Similarly, he added the shortage of Wapda staff in Fata is also being removed and in this connection, the local candidates would be given preference.
The meeting besides the Secretary to Governor Sahibzada Saeed Ahmad, Secretary Fata Security Brigadier Mahmood Shah (Retd) and Director General Fata Shafiq-uz-Zaman was also attended by the representatives of Nepra, Finance Division and Ministry of Water and Power.
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