PESHAWAR, Oct 27: Senator Hameedullah Khan of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas has asked President Gen Pervez Musharraf to spend the royalty of the Warsak Dam for the betterment of the tribal areas, particularly in the Khyber and Mohmand agencies.

In a letter to the president, he said the dam supplied electricity through the national grid to other areas of the country but most of the areas of the agencies remained backward.

“The cumulative royalty of the Warsak Dam, had it been paid since its operation began, would have amounted to Rs20 billion. This amount, had it been spent in Fata, could have changed the complexion of life in our area,” he said.

He urged the president to order payment of the royalty to the administration concerned for projects like building of roads, schools, colleges, hospitals and universities in the tribal areas.

He lamented that the health, communications and education facilities in the area were far lower than elsewhere in the country.

He said he had taken up the issue with the Water and Power Development Authority chairman and other officials.—PPI