Contractors from different tribal agencies have demanded of the government to immediately withdraw the new procedural condition for registration of awarding contracts, warned that they would go for complete boycott from the ongoing developmental schemes in Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (Fata), if their demands were not fulfilled.
Addressing at a news conference here at Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, president All Tribal Contractors Association, Fata Zahir Jan said that the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) had imposed a new condition of C-6 for registering contracts on June 30, 2012. He said that the step was aimed at to pave way for non-local contractors to work in tribal region.
Flanked by the association general secretary Laiq Mirjan along with contractors from different tribal agencies, Zahir said that more than 2,500 registered contractors would affect from the decision as 98 per cent are not fulfilling the new condition introduced by the PEC.
He termed the new procedure for awarding of contracts was conspiracy hatched against the experienced contractors and to pave way for non-local contractors to work in the tribal region. "We had strongly rejected the new condition imposed by the PEC as contractors already boycotted from tenders following introduction of new procedure for granting contracts in Fata", Zahir said. "We will not allow any non-local contractors to carry out work in tribal region", he warned.
ATCA president alleged that the Additional Chief Secretary Fata had contacted for several time to discuss the issue with him, but he was not given attention to their problems. He said that around 60 per cent funds allocated for development in Fata were used on renovation of secretariat and housing scheme situated at Warsak road, which was totally unjust with the tribal areas.
Despite the release of new schedule of rates 2012, he said that the provincial government wasn't yet to issue notification in this regard. He alleged that officials in Fata secretariat were creating hurdles release of new notification and in resolution of their problems. He demanded for increase in rates in while keeping in view cost factor in the tribal region. He demanded of the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Barrister Masood Kausar to accept their demands and to save huge losses of jobs and economic genocide of contractors in the Fata.