PESHAWAR, June 16: Anjuman-i-Kashtkaran Khyber Agency on Thursday urged to supply electricity to their tube-wells on the same rates as are charged from farmers of Wana, the South Waziristan Agency headquarters. “We are ready to pay a fixed amount of Rs500 per month per irrigation tube-well”, Haleem Gul, chairman of the Anjuman, told reporters during a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday. He said growers of Mera Akakhel, like the farmers of Wana, should also be provided electricity on flat-rate.

Flanked by Haibat Khan, Syed Surat Shah and other office bearers of the association, Mr Gul informed the newsmen that Khyber Agency had 35,000 acres of cultivable land of which 17,000 acres was situated only in Mera Akakhel. But only 3,000 acres of land was cultivable while the remaining 14,000 acres was barren.

He said that 90 per cent owners of the agricultural land wanted electricity to their tube-wells on flat-rate. He said that Tribal Electricity Supply Company (TESCO) was providing electricity to the tube-wells of Wana at Rs1000 per month.

However, he said, Khyber Agency was more backward than the South Waziristan and they were ready to sign agreement to pay Rs500 per month per tube-well.

The president of the association said that an 11000-kv feeder had already been constructed at Mathani Grid Station for their area. However, he said, the government would provide electricity after signing a formal agreement with tribesmen.

He said that they were capable of providing wheat to the whole FATA if incentives were given to them. He demanded of the government to spend some amount of the funds of Anti-Narcotics Force on imparting of agricultural training to the farmers of the tribal area.