NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani on Tuesday received a presentation on Rs 3.5 billion Fata Rural Development Project here at Governor House and was informed that above Rs 2 billion, more than half of the total amount had so far been incurred on 1,100 community development projects in Bajaur, Mohmand and Khyber Agencies.
Massud Khan Bangash Project Director FRDP while making the presentation said that FRDP being a community participated project was aimed at improving the production potential of watershed; strengthening the capacity of the communities and supporting the implementing capacity of line departments to operate in more socially inclusive manner.
The total target area of the project is 6,162 square km and the targeted population is 1.48 million. The sectors in which the project intervenes are Communication, Irrigation, Agriculture, Forest, Drinking Water Supply, Livestock and Fodder Production besides Skill Development and Plantation. As being community participated-project, 1,400 Community Organisations have been established and involved in various phases of development schemes.
He also explained the methodology of planning and implementation and various tiers of committees and boards for the purpose as well as their financial powers with regard to approval of development schemes. As regard achievements, the meeting was told that FRDP had trained as much as 1,566 youth of Bajaur, Mohmand and Khyber Agencies in different technical trades enabling them to earn respectfully.
Moreover, 456 Drinking Water schemes and 414 Irrigation schemes have been completed whereas plantation had been carried out over an area of 8,525 acres in all the three tribal Agencies. This five years Fata Rural Development Project as informed was initiated in the financial year 2006-07 and would continue till the year 2011-12.
The Governor appreciated the performance of FRDP saying that the project had worked tremendously to facilitate the respective tribal communities in very odd and hard circumstances. However, he urged the need for community involvement to the maximum extent as he added this would help create a sense of ownership among the respective communities, which was essential for sustaining the projects and benefiting the communities for a much longer period.
The FRDP, he added had succeeded in obtaining confidence of the tribal population therefore, it must come up to their expectations. The Governor urged the officials to not only keep up the pace of work but also accelerate the implementation process to facilitate the tribal populace in a minimum possible time. The presentation was also attended by the Director General Projects Fata Dr Fakhar-e-Alam and Mazhar Ali Shah Chief Economist Fata.