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| May 31, 2005 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 22, 1426 |
Balochistan seeks Rs10 billion
QUETTA, May 30: Balochistan Planning and Development Minister Maulana Abdul Wasay has said that the centre should give a grant of Rs10 billion to the province in the next fiscal year if the new National Finance Commission award is not announced before the budget.
Speaking at a press conference, he said: “The Balochistan government will not be in a position to present the next provincial budget in the absence of the NFC award.”
He said Punjab would be the sole beneficiary if the award was not announced as the resources would be distributed on the basis of population.
He said Balochistan, Sindh and the NWFP wanted the criteria of territory, backwardness and revenue collection to be included in the resource sharing formula.
He said the Balochistan government did not oppose the proposal from Sindh about sharing of resources on the basis of revenue collection and other factors.
He said there was a stalemate in the talks among the provinces as Sindh had taken a distinct position.
Maulana Wasay called for intervention from the federal government to announce the award in the interest of the country’s solidarity and integrity.
“Dragging of consultation on the award is not in the interest of the country and its people,” he said. The situation would not help in combating poverty and backwardness in the country, he said.
The minister said no other province should have a right over the gas development surcharge.
Disclosed details of the federal Public Sector Development Programme of the next fiscal year, Maulana Wasay said that two dams would be built on Bolan and Vindar rivers, while the Band Khushdil Khan would be rehabilitated.
The structure of the dam on Bolan River was washed away in floods and rains in the 1980s.
The dam on Vindar River would be for water storage, he said.
The federal government will spend Rs8.2 billion on development of water resources in Balochistan.
The projects include Mirani Dam, Sabakzai Dam, Kachhi Canal, extension of Pat Feeder, rehabilitation of Kirthar Canal and Band Khusdil Khan and effluent disposal into the Indus Right Bank Outfall Drain.
The minister said the government would construct 200 small and medium delay action dams.
The federal government had allocated Rs6.47 billion for construction of highways linking Kalat with Quetta and subsequently Chaman as the routs linking Afghanistan with the Kuchlak-Qila Saifullah road, Maulana Wasay said.
He said the government had prepared a programme for livestock development in Balochistan, compensating the previous losses and restoring the level of economic activities in the far-flung regions.
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