PESHAWAR, Jan 16: The NWFP cabinet on Wednesday decided to make necessary changes in the relevant laws to extend one-time exemption from stamp duty and registration fee to facilitate the corporatization of Wapda.

The meeting, presided over by NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, also decided that Wapda will charge D-I tariff for drinking water supply schemes and streetlights.

The cabinet also decided that tobacco development cess would be extended to all dealers/purchasers supplying tobacco to manufacturers outside the province and the process would be regularized and documented so that no one could mislead or exploit the growers.

The meeting was informed that the tobacco cess being charged at Rs2 per kilogram from the NWFP manufacturers would now be charged from all purchasers/dealers out of province.

The meeting also discussed the grant-in-aid to the Cadet College Kohat and decided that Rs1 million would be released for the purpose. Similarly, a committee headed by the provincial minister for education will formulate financial plan to make the college self-sustainable.

Matters pertaining to lifting of ban on commercial harvesting of forests also came under discussion in the meeting. The cabinet decided to approach the federal government to leave the issue of lifting of ban to the discretion of provincial government as the cabinet viewed that this was a provincial subject.

A committee was also constituted to suggest ways and means for developing government land for its commercial use situated at Dabgari Garden Peshawar.