September 13, 2002	Friday	Rajab 5, 1423

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PESHAWAR, Sept 12: The NWFP government has requested Islamabad to appoint an internationally recognized person or institution as arbitrator to resolve the net hydel profit’s issue, involving Wapda as the other party.

The province has a claim of around Rs298 billion on account of arrears against Wapda, a stand rejected by Wapda.

The NWFP has also asked for an increase in the capped share amount the Wapda has been releasing to it at the rate of Rs6 billion annually for the last nine years. The amount is much less than its annual share in accordance with the A.G.N. Kazi formula.

Sources told this scribe that the provincial government had also requested the federal government to resolve the issue before the next National Finance Commission (NFC) award.

The province has suggested that till the arbitration between itself and Wapda takes place, its capped share amount should be raised from Rs6 billion to Rs10 billion for the new NFC’s first year of operation.

The bureaucracy in the federal government, according to sources, wants to leave the contentious issue for the future government, causing unrest in the provincial government which wants to get it resolved before the 6th NFC award is announced.