Profit on hydel power: NWFP hopeful of getting Rs 595 billion share from Wapda

The NWFP government is quite confident to get its share of Rs 595 billion from the federal government in head of net profit on hydel power and claiming presenting strong case with undeniable facts and arguments in the Arbitration Tribunal.
The Tribunal constituted by the federal government for the resolution of the dispute between the NWFP and Wapda over payments in head of net profit over hydro-power generation is expected to be announced to its final verdict by October 31 this year.
This was stated by NWFP Information and Public Relations Minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai, while speaking as chief guest at the first anniversary function of daily "Nida-e-Khalq" in Haripur on Monday.
The provincial minister Akhtar Nawaz Khan, MPA Qazi Muhammad Asad, District JUI (F) Amir Pir Alamzeb Shah, the editors of daily 'Sarhad News and daily 'Nida-e-Khalq', Sardar Ibrar Rashid and Dr Chan Mubarak respectively also spoke on the occasion.
Daudzai said that Rs 595 billion was payable by the federal government to the NWFP government since 1991 under the head of net hydel profit while we have a separate claim of a huge amount under the same head for a period from 1974 to 1990. This case is also under consideration, he added.
He expressed the hope that guaranteeing financial rights of this smallest province of the country would not only make the NWFP financially self-sufficient for ever, but it will also enable us to bring 65 percent of the land under cultivation besides taking many other uplift steps and fully developing the potentials in tourism, mineral, industrial, forestry and hydro-power generation sectors on a sound and sustainable footing.
Daudzai also said though the provincial government presented a truly welfare budget despite our limited resources, but the MMA government needs much more to fulfil its manifesto and ensure a real and long standing relief to the people of this province.
Describing the people's welfare steps taken by the provincial government a success, the provincial information minister said that reforms introduced in the education sector and the tax exemption given to the owners of up to five marlas houses.
He said the good and honest governance of the present NWFP government was not only being appreciated by the other provinces but it also achieved popularity in many other parts of the world.
Highlighting the other achievements of the MMA government, Asif Iqbal Daudzai said that the revenue of Rs 1 billion has been estimated from Malakand-III project from January next year, while royalty on gas is expected to cross the figure of Rs 1.5 billion next year, which, he said, was estimated at only Rs 560 million last year.
He said the centre will provide an additional amount of Rs 13.30 billion to the province this year, but we will be in no need of such additional grants if the federal government provides province rights of the hydel profit dues.