PESHAWAR, Nov 1: Finance division parliamentary secretary Omer Ayub Khan, MNA, has stressed the need for constructing new water reservoirs, including the proposed Kalabagh dam.

He demanded of the government to allocate two per cent for the uplift of Haripur district out of Rs6 billion Tarbela Dam royalty granted to the NWFP every year.

Mr Khan termed the construction of Kalabagh dam, education and technical training of manpower and development of agriculture sector inevitable for strengthening the national economy and ensuring sustainable development of the country.

He was speaking as the chief guest at the Annual Sports Day function of the Telecom Boys Public School and College in T&T Colony, Haripur, on Saturday.

Kalabagh and such other proposed dams, he said, must be constructed to shore up the economy of the country, in general, and power and agriculture sectors, in particular.

Engineer Zairullah Khan, Managing Director of the Telephone Industries of Pakistan, Haripur, and Major (retired) Mohammad Tariq, Principal of the college, also addressed the ceremony and highlighted the activities, achievements and future plans of Tip and the college, respectively. School and college students presented colourful and impressive PT, gymnastic and other physical shows on the occasion and the chief guest gave away prizes to the winning individuals and teams of cricket, hockey, football, volleyball, basketball, Kabadi, badminton, table tennis and the field events.

Mr Khan, in his address, asked the members of the NWFP Assembly to move a resolution in the provincial assembly for demanding two per cent share for Haripur district from the power royalty.

He further said that Article 161(b) of the Constitution should also be amended so as to enable the Frontier province to claim electricity royalty of Ghazi Barotha Dam “as the source of its huge water channel is situated in Haripur for which the people of the district have sacrificed their homes and lands”.

Referring to the development of his constituency, the parliamentary secretary said the federal government had allocated Rs1.24 billion for the uplift of Haripur.

Out of this amount, a sum of Rs32 million would be spent on providing Sui gas to Ghazi and Khanpur areas and Rs35 million had been allocated for establishing a modern technical training centre and a federal government college for girls in Haripur, he added.

Mr Khan further said that nine new digital telephone exchanges were being installed in the district which would leave no area without this facility whereas the district would have a new 50-bed hospitals by the end of year 2004.

Describing unemployment as a major impediment in the prosperity of the people, Mr Khan said in order to overcome this problem the government was seriously concentrating on human resource development and easy term loans would be provided to the private sector under different self-employment schemes.

He also appreciated the standard achieved by the Telecom Boys Public School and College under the dynamic leadership of its Principal who, he said, strived hard not only to revive the lost repute of the institution but introduced the school and college to the new avenues of prestige and success.

He hoped that the college would soon be able to compete with the prestigious educational institutions of the country such as Burnhall and Aitchison.—APP