NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has said development and prosperity of the people should be the priority of the elected governments and they should ensure the judicious distribution of national resources through elected representatives.
Talking to a 21-member delegation of Union Council Nazimeen at Chief Minister House here, Durrani said the democratic establishments were supposed to utilise power and authority for the betterment of society rather than for the well-being of individuals.
He said people have still confidence in the leadership of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and those unleashing malicious propaganda against the religious parties would never succeed in their nefarious designs.
The so-called leaders who had done nothing for the people during their tenures as chief minister were now pointing fingers at the MMA government in NWFP.
Without naming Aftab Sherpao, Durrani accused him of diverting provincial resources to one district and neglecting the rest of 23 districts.
The Chief Minister said the MMA government has chalked out a plan for achieving provincial rights, increasing share in the national finance award and net hydle profit and getting maximum share in the developmental schemes of the federal government.
Durrani asked the Union Council Nazimeen to co-operate with the law enforcing agencies to eliminate crimes and criminal elements from their areas. He said the relationship between the provincial and district governments are strengthening day by day.
However, he deplored that in the past the district governments failed to utilise resources in a better way, which have been squandered instead of spending on improving the socio-economic conditions of the people.
The Chief Minister said it was the responsibility of the elected peoples to safe guard the interests of the electorates. He said the MMA government has established better working relationships with the elected people of other political parties.
He said funds have been distributed equally among all members of the assembly including opposition, women and minorities members.
He said the areas, which remained underdeveloped in the past, would be given more attention to bring them at par with the rest of the areas.
In this connection, Durrani said, the MMA government has announced a special package of Rs 1.2 billion for Kohistan district to alleviate its poverty and backwardness.
He said works on the construction of Lowari Tunnel would be started soon as the necessary machinery has reached the site. He said the government has approved construction of Bannu-Ghulam Khan Road and after completion, he hoped, the road would bring economic prosperity in the region. Likewise, the Bannu-Gambela road is a unique project of its kind.
Durrani said the gas recovered at Shakar Dara and Gurguray was the right of the people of the southern districts and the Prime Minister has also promised to provide the gas facilities to these districts on priority.
He said like provision of health and communication facilities, the government was also concentrating on provision of facilities in the fields of education and other social services to district Bannu.
The government wanted to establish a park, cancer hospital, police public school and some small dams in Bannu. Moreover, he said, Rs 280 million would be spent on bringing more land under cultivation and an additional amount of Rs 20 million on improvement of roads and sanitation system.
Rupees one billion would be spent on construction of bus terminal in Peshawar and more amounts would be given for women and children hospital and provision of clean drinking water.
He said 15,000 additional police force would be recruited in the province and the government has also taken approval for establishing the Bannuchi, Gagyani, Gandapur, Kundi and Shinwari platoons in frontier corps.
The Chief Minister said the government has given approval for the establishment of circuit benches in Bannu and Malakand.
He said on the construction of Bannu Airport, Rs 280 million would be spent for which the expatriates of the southern region have started collecting donations.
Earlier, Nazimeen apprised the Chief Minister of the problems faced by their respective Union Councils. They reposed confidence in the policies of the MMA government.