The government of NWFP was considering to provide subsidised gas to people of the forest growing areas in the province. The entire Malakand division in general and Swat in particular will be given top priority in provision of subsidised gas facility.
The matter was discussed in a meeting held here Tuesday with Caretaker Chief Minister Shams-ul-Mulk in the chair. Minister for Finance, Muhammad Azam Khan, Managing Director SNGPL, Abdul Rashid Lone, senior officials of the provincial government and representatives of local industrialists attended the meeting.
The participants of the meeting were briefed about the domestic, industrial and commercial consumption, the existing distribution network, the gap between the supply and demand. The meeting was informed about the projects in the southern districts, expansion of infrastructure and rehabilitation at the cost of Rs 11 billion.
The chief minister said that forests are the major source of the province. Though it does not touch the international standard and need a focused approach not only to conserve but to cover major portion for forestation in the forest growing areas adding that the people of the forest growing areas were poor and have no source of livelihood.
He said the government was prepared to subsidise gas through a free cylinder scheme but marketing of such cylinders will be strictly restricted. He said that there are forces exploiting the situation and the poor could be the easiest victims. He said that the people of the violence-hit areas of Swat would be compensated by a carefully prepared package that would include subsidised gas provision, roads communication and improved services in all social sectors.
Shams-ul-Mulk said that the government has already evolved a realistic approach to conserve forests, provide sources of livelihood to the people, provide them facilities, create cumbersome free environment, remove their deprivation, review economic activity and re-open the sources of economic prosperity in the violence-hit areas of Swat.
He said that Frontier province was bearing the brunt of war on terror. It was bearing invisible cost and therefore Frontier province deserves, special dispensation adding a knee jerk action, would back fire if we demonstrate weakness in sharing the burden of the provinces already overburdened by the international community engagement in the neighbouring country. Ultimately the problems in the province would have a spill-over effect on the whole of he country.
He said focusing on NWFP is like focusing on the country, doing well for the province was equally good for the country and what is good for the province can not be bad for the country, he asserted. He said that his government would continue to interact with the investors engaged in making discoveries of the natural deposits in the province.
His government would cooperate with them and protect their interest and assured that the government would try to provide ideal environment for the investment in the province. He directed to plan an enhanced share of the royalty for creating efficient services in the social sector in areas where natural resources were discovered.
However, he asked the quarters concerned to set up vocational centres to produce value added labour and skilled manpower that could contribute to the provincial economy. He said that he was responsible for protecting the interest of the province. The industrialists also highlighted their problems. The M D Gas assured that a direct connection from the discoveries made in the province to Peshawar would resolve their problems and hoped it would be completed soon.
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