November 07, 2007	Wednesday	Shawwal 25, 1428

PESHAWAR, Nov 6: More than 30 MPAs, mostly belonging to the opposition in the dissolved Frontier Assembly, could not get a single penny for development projects executed in their respective constituencies under the Tameer-i-Sarhad Programme (TSP) this year, it is learnt.

Official sources told Dawn that 35 MPAs, who were entitled to Rs10 million each under their TSP share, could not get funds because of non-approval of their proposals by the chief minister and other relevant forums till the dissolution of the assembly.

Of the 35 MPAs, 22 were those who had been elected on seats reserved for women, including those belonging to the MMA, three who were elected on minority seats and the remaining 10 were PML-Q members, independents or JUI-F dissidents, the sources said.

The current Annual Development Programme (ADP) envisages an allocation of Rs1.24 billion for the TSP, of which the government has released Rs1.2 billion in the first quarter of the current fiscal year (2007-08).

Of this amount, Rs1 billion was released for the projects identified by the MPAs, while Rs200 million was released on the chief minister’s general directives for different development schemes, the sources said.

The former MMA government, which came into power in 2002, had earmarked Rs10 million each under the TSP for the development projects executed in the constituencies of 124 MPAs.

The government, however, increased the share of its MPAs from Rs10 million to Rs15 million each, apparently giving them an opportunity to complete the maximum number of development projects in their respective constituencies before the general elections, the sources said.

This increase in the TSP, the sources said, was granted to 51 former MPAs of the religious parties’ alliance, who secured additional funds of Rs5 million each for the development projects under completion in their respective constituencies.

At the same time, 12 legislators affiliated to PPP-Parliamentarians, four each to the Awami National Party (ANP) and independents were given Rs10 million each under the TSP during the same period, the sources said.

Likewise, Rs10 million each was approved for two MPAs of the ANP, but it could not be released because the approval of Departmental Development Committee (DDC) was not granted till the dissolution of the assembly.

In line with the TSP allocation, the former government was supposed to release Rs10 million for each MPA. However, 11 MPAs were given Rs2.5 million during the first quarter of the current fiscal year. Of these 11 MPAs, four belonged to PPP-Sherpao, five to PML-Q and one each to ANP and one Independent.

Moreover, an amount of Rs2.5 million was approved for four MPAs, including two each of the PPP-Sherpao and independents. However, they have not availed of the funds so far, according to the sources.