Chief Engineer Fata, Amir Shahbaz Khan in an exclusive interview with APP here on Monday said that development allocations of Fata registered constant upward growth since 2000-01 because of the interest and attention paid by the NWFP Governor, Lieutenant General Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah (Retd).
In communication sector in 2004-05, he said, 500 kilometre road would be constructed at a cost of Rs 1,450 million besides construction of 20 bridges at an estimated cost of Rs 3,000 million.
Giving break up of the sector wise achievement during last four years, Amir Shahbaz Khan said Rs 169.954 million were spent on 80 km road projects in 2000-01 which included 22 shingled, 43 black topped and 15 road improvement schemes.
Similarly in 2001-02, the allocations for road projects jumped to Rs 284.023 million in which 121 km road schemes were completed and in 2002-03, Rs 716.924 million were spent on 231 km road projects.
Whereas in last fiscal year ie 2003-04, he said, handsome amount of Rs 856.376 million had been utilised on completion of 308 km road schemes which also included construction of 156 km black topped road.
The grand total comes to Rs 2,027.277 million were spent during the last four years on road projects alone, he maintained.
To a question, he said, the governor's Fata Secretariat on the directives of the governor was taking keen interest in completion of water supply schemes on priority basis in hard and rugged mountainous regions of tribal belt.
He told that during last four years, 147 water supply schemes have been completed at a cost of Rs 526.378 million of which 13 completed in 2000-01 (Rs 82.339 million), 10 in 2001-02 (Rs 79.946 million), 47 in 2002-03(Rs 159.598 million) and 77 in 2003-04 (Rs 240.495 million).
He said as many as 23 units in Physical Planning and Housing sector were completed at a cost of Rs 115.336 between 2000-01 and 2003-04.
In 2000-01, only one project in physical planning and housing head was completed at a cost of Rs 5.089 million, two in 2001-02 with Rs 5.554 million, and ten each in 2002-03 and 2003-04 at a cost of Rs 45.394 million and Rs 58.579 million respectively.
The major projects completed in physical planning and housing sector included construction of accommodation for staff of Agency Headquarters Hospital Wana in South Waziristan Agency, and establishment of Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari Cultural Complex Mausoleum at Landi Kotal in Khyber Agency.
To a question Shahbaz Khan said that four each water supply schemes were completed in 2003-04 in Bajauar Agency and Khyber Agency, seven in North Waziristan, three in FR Lakki Marwat, nine in South Waziristan and two water supply schemes in FR Tank.
In reply to a question, Chief Engineer Fata said that master plan to shift the offices and residential accommodations of Political Agents of Khyber and South Waziristan Agencies to their respective areas had been started.
He said that the governor instructed him to prepare the master plan in this regard as presently the office of Political Agent Khyber Agency was situated in Peshawar and Political Agent South Waziristan Agency in Tank district.
He told that he recently visited South Waziristan Agency and inspected the proposed site for construction of Agency Headquarters Complex which would be constructed in Shakai (19 km off Wana) bordering area between Wazir and Mehsud tribes.
The Mehsud tribe had in fact proposed the site for construction of PA offices and residence in Shakai as they did not want to go to Wana, dominated by Wazir tribe, he elaborated.