PESHAWAR: The Fata Secretariat has been allocating money for the construction of a training centre for Levies Force in tribal areas in its annual development programme since 2011 but has been unable to construct the facility until now.

The budget documents show that the secretariat has been revising the scheme in every annual development programme for Fata since the fiscal year 2011-12 and that Rs168 million is repeatedly allocated for the scheme.

However, the secretariat has yet to resume construction work.

Fata Sectt allocating funds for proposed facility since 2011

The training facility was planned in Shah Kass area of Khyber Agency and work began on it in 2007. The US government through the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), functioning under the State Department, had funded it at that time.

The government had planned to recruit around 20,000 personnel in the Levies Force for the seven tribal agencies and six Frontier Regions (FRs) of Fata in 2004.

The establishment of the training centre was initially planned in Bajaur Agency and training of the recruiters also got under way.

Later, the facility was shifted to Khyber Agency’s Shah Kass area as officials said Bajaur Agency was not ‘feasible logistically’.

Officials in the secretariat said 5,000 personnel had been trained under the programme. Like construction of the centre, the requirement of Levies men is also in limbo.

Initially, the US government, which had to provide master trainers to train the force, had reportedly opposed the centre in Shah Kass area and asked the authorities concerned to shift it to an appropriate location in Peshawar. However, the request was turned down.

The secretariat had acquired around 70 acres of land in Shah Kass area opposite the Hayatabad Township, Peshawar.

Work on the project was launched on war footing. The boundary wall and two residential blocks comprising 16 rooms for recruiters were constructed. Prefabricated material was used to build the structure fast.

The officials conceded that work was stopped on account of the delicate security situation when militants ran over the area.

A source said the army troops currently lived in the residential blocks.

The secretariat is unable to restart work although the amount has been allocated for the defunct project in the ADP for Fata for the last seven years.

The secretariat has repeatedly allocated Rs168 million for the centre in the ADP but failed to ensure start of civil work.

An official said the law and order department had submitted PC-1 of the project to resume work.

He said the INL, the US body, had suggested the handing over of the project to the Frontier Corps instead of a private contractor.

He said the scheme was under discussion with the FC but the final decision on it had yet not been taken.

“The delay in construction has escalated the project’s cost,” he acknowledged, adding that despite availability of funds, the scheme has been lying incomplete for 10 years.

The secretariat has planned to establish the complex comprising offices of the political administration, Levies Force training centre and other allied departments in Shah Kass.

Work on the offices for the political administration is in progress.

The offices of political administration are likely to be shifted from Bara and Peshawar to the under construction complex in Shah Kass.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2017