28 September 2004	Tuesday	12 Shaban 1425

PESHAWAR, Sept 27: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani on Sunday demanded Rs40 billion from the federal government for the construction of 20 small dams in the province to enable it to achieve self-sufficiency in wheat and generate economic and employment opportunities.

A statement issued at the end of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's two-day visit to Peshawar said the chief minister made the demand during a special cabinet meeting with Mr Aziz.

The funds, the chief minister said, were required to build the first Chashma right bank canal, the Gomal zam dam and other small dams. He said the provincial budget had been bifurcated to spend money on the welfare of the masses and ensure better fiscal monitoring.

He urged the prime minister to help resolve the issue of net hydel profit and its arrears between the province and the Water and Power Development Authority. The chief minister said the law and order situation in the province was exemplary and there had only been three robberies during the year. The robbers had been arrested, he said.

He paid tribute to former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who had sanctioned the recruitment of 15,000 policemen in the province. He said 5,000 policemen had been recruited and the remaining appointments would be made after their approval by the federal government next year.

He asked the federal government to give the Rs1.9 billion assistance earlier assured to the province improve the efficiency of police and saidthe centre should take practical steps instead of making announcements.

Mr Durrani said there were no police lines in 13 of the 23 districts in the province. He said the former prime minister had sanctioned the creation of four additional posts of judges at the Peshawar High Court and circuit benches in Malakand and Bannu to lessen the burden on the courts.

The chief minister said that of the 200 platoons of the Frontier Constabulary, 170 were serving in Sindh, Punjab and the Northern Areas. He said the force should either be returned to the province to beef up security between the tribal and settled areas or the NWFP should be allowed to raise fresh platoons.

Mr Durrani asked the government to allow the province to retireits expensive federal debt through low-interest financing from banks. He said the federal government had agreed to the construction of an airport in Peshawar but the Civil Aviation Authority was working on the expansion of the existing one, that would prove expensive and cause huge displacements.

He called for efforts to expedite work on gas supply to six southern districts of the province. He said the government should ensure the provision of gas to the northern districts of the province, including Hazara, from the deposits in Gorgori and Shakar Darra. The chief minister said the district nazims did not have the capacity to spend the 24 per cent of the budget provided to them.