PESHAWAR, Oct 4: Joint candidate of the Watan Dost and Al-Khidmat groups for the slot of nazim Peshawar district Haroon Bilour has said that if voted to the office he would manage passage of a unanimous resolution by the council under which water tax would be reduced with immediate effect.

The provincial government had increased water rates on July 1, 2005, which hit the people hard, he said adding that he and his colleagues would try their level best to provide clean drinking water, electricity and other basic amenities. He claimed support of 62 Nazims and 850 councillors.

“Provision of drinking water, employment, natural gas, electricity and pavements alongside roads top our priority list”, said barrister Haroon Bashir Bilour at a news conference ahead of October-6 district nazim elections here at the press club on Tuesday.

He said he had planned to set up at least one degree college for girls and one for boys in each of the four towns of Peshawar city district. Likewise, he had planned to build one dispensary in each of 92 union councils of the city.

“Problems of traffic and encroachments have assumed alarming proportion. For this purpose, flyovers and underpasses would be built to provide clean atmosphere to Peshawarites. Besides, CNG-run buses would be increased to lessen pollution”, he said adding tree-plantation was also a part of his manifesto, he said..

Mr Bilour said that about 1000 educated youths would get employment under a well chalked-out programme and efforts would be made to create more employment opportunities in collaboration with the private-sector organisations. Among his other priorities were construction and repair of roads and installation of streetlights, he added.

, He said that he had planned to redesign Chowk Yadgaar to ease traffic flow.

“Every UC of the city would be given Rs5 million to build primary schools for girls and boys”, he added.

Mr Bilour said that a Jirga consisting of councillors would hold a meeting with President Pervez Musharraf after Ramazan to seek handsome development package for the city. “We would not leave Islamabad until announcement of a package by the president”.

He said the president had announced such packages for other cities in the past and hoped that he would announce a package for Peshawar as well.

Mr Bilour said that development activities would be carried out at a fast speed while new taxes would not be levied.