June 03, 2007	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 17, 1428

PESHAWAR, June 2: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani said on Saturday the provincial government was chalking out a strategy to steer the local flour mills industry out of the existing crisis.

Addressing a luncheon hosted by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, he said that his government was interested in reopening closed flourmills in the province.

However, he lamented that in the past flour mills had been established without any planning, adding: “Our government wants to reopen the flour mills, but it requires a permanent strategy. Providing subsidies are not a permanent solution.”

The chief minister said the solution to this problem was linked with the construction of Chashma First Left Canal Irrigation Scheme in Dera Ismail Khan which would irrigate an area of about 285,000 acres.

Mr Durrani pointed out that the growing of wheat on such a huge area would make the NWFP self-sufficient in wheat production, adding that the surplus stock could be transported to Punjab and exported to Afghanistan.

In this respect, he said, the provincial government had approved the construction of 20 small dams to irrigate over 100,000 acres of land, adding that five more small dams would be constructed in Haripur district, two in Karak and one each in Lachi (Kohat) and Hangu.

On the revival of sick industrial units at the Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate, he said that he had taken up the matter with the federal government and sought special incentives for industrialists so that closed industries could become functional and people of the area got jobs.

The chief minister said that southern districts of the province had been provided with natural gas facility, adding that a gas pipeline would be laid to provide direct gas facility to Peshawar from Kohat.

He was of the view that there would be no domestic or commercial gas loadshedding in Peshawar once the project was completed.

The chief minister said the provincial government was conducting a survey to find industrial plots lying vacant since 1985 so that their allotment could be cancelled.

“The provincial government is also making rules for residential plots in the Hayatabad Township,” he said, adding that the allotment of all vacant plots would be cancelled to discourage an escalation in property prices.

APP adds: Mr Durrani has assured printers and publishers that the printing of textbooks will not be given to any multinational company.

Earlier, a representative of the printers apprised the chief minister of concerns found among printers over the reported handing over of printing of textbooks to multinational companies. The decision would render thousands of labourers jobless, he said.

Mr Durrani said that he would issue directives to the quarters concerned in this regard. He, however, asked the printers to improve their performance and print books on time.