KOHAT, March 24: The NWFP government has approved Rs35 million for different development projects in the rural areas of Kohat which included construction of a small dam in the Lachi town, hand-pump schemes and electrification of villages during the current fiscal year.

This was stated by MNA from Kohat, Mufti Ibrar Hussain, while speaking at a public meeting at Lachi on Monday.

Giving details of the projects, Mr Hussain said Rs20 million would be spent on provision of drinking water. Similarly, Rs2 million would be utilised only for laying water supply pipelines in Lachi, whereas Kol small dam would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs2.6 million

He said that Rs5 million would be spent through Wapda on electrification of villages situated adjacent to the Lachi town. The amount would be in addition to Rs1.2 million allocated for installation of hand-pumps in Gumbat and Rs6.3 million allocated for construction of roads and other schemes in Sodal Palosi and Underwala Banda.

Mr Hussain assured the people that all work would be supervised by a vigilance committee comprising technical staff and the local people to ensure better quality of work and to act as a check on commission mafia.

Meanwhile, people of Shakardarra who had been demanding provision of gas from the recently discovered oil and gas reservoirs from where supplies had already been started with the installation of a injection point in Punjab had asked the government to start work on the Nokradin dam.

It may be recalled that the NWFP governor during a visit to the area had assured the people that the problem of water shortage in Shakardarra would be resolved after the construction of Nokradin dam with the assistance of the Punjab government.

The feasibility for the dam plan had been completed and cost had also been worked out but the project had been shelved for some unknown reasons.

The dam which is to be built in the Mianwali district of Punjab would help irrigate 80 per cent of barren land in Shakardarra in the NWFP besides solving the drinking water problem, according to a survey report of the UNDP.

The report said that the district assembly of Mianwali had accepted the proposal forwarded to them by the UNDP but the NWFP government was not giving proper attention to this vital scheme.

The dam, according to the report would be fed by two water resources mainly Sandao Algada and Saindo Algada. The height of the dam is 250 feet and width 110 feet, whereas the water obtained from the two resources would be stored in a 16 square kilometre wide lake.

At present, potable water is supplied to the oil-rich area with the help of water tankers which are unable to meet the needs of the local population. This arrangement had been made by the OGDC for the benefit of the people on temporary basis.