PESHAWAR, Feb 6: The NWFP governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has said that a special grant of Rs528 million given by the federal government to the province would be distributed among all the districts on the basis of population and keeping in mind the development requirements of each district.

He said District Shangla had been given about Rs30 million under the Khushal Pakistan Programme and Rs26.3 million under a special development package. He directed the District Government of Shangla to use the said money judiciously on the development projects of the area.

This he said while addressing a meeting of Nazimeen and councillors at Alpuri in Shangla district on Wednesday. The governor said that money given to the district government could help end the backwardness of the district to a great extent.

The governor on this occasion announced upgradation of Alpuri Hospital as District Headquarter Hospital and ordered provision of necessary staff and equipment to the hospital.

The governor also announced upgradation of a girls college and two high schools. He also announced that computer classes would be started in five schools of the district.

The governor said that Shangla had been made the district in keeping with the interests of the people of the area. He asked the elected representatives to run the affairs of the district in the larger interest of the people. He said that in the past districts were made on the basis of political favouritism, which had a very negative impact on the overall situation, and no development took place there. The so-called politicians made decisions in keeping with their own vested interest whereas the present government was taking every step in the larger interest of the people.

The governor on this occasion explained that no one was authorized to make decisions on his own. He said that no project would be carried out without the consent of the council. The governor said that the projects carried out without consulting elected councillors would be deemed as unlawful and cancelled.

He said that all the decisions should be made after endorsement of the council. The governor explained that the district governments would sanction the projects and the tehsil and union councils would implement them. The governor said that as a result of collective decisions, the affairs of the government would become more transparent.

The discretionary powers for the use of funds had given birth to corruption in the past, he said, adding that his government did not want to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Regarding the powers of councillors the governor said that they had been given the powers in developmental matters. He told the councillors that they should ensure that the government departments were run efficiently and the result of the developmental works was felt by common man. He said that by forming the monitoring committees the wrongdoings in the government departments could be minimized.

The governor on this occasion stressed the need for keeping a small number of staff on district level, as the large number of staff would put unnecessary burden on the resources of the district.

He said the NWFP was the only province where the health and education departments had been have given to the district governments. The governor said that the district governments were authorized to make recruitments up to the level of principals in education department and up to grade 15 in the health department.

Regarding the Hydel Power Projects the governor said that all such projects would be initiated by the private sector. He announced that a TV booster would soon be set up in Shangla. The governor also said that elected representatives would be included in the district committees on forests.

Earlier, District Nazim Rashid Rehman, in his welcome address, thanked the governor for his visit to Shangla. He appreciated the policies of the present government and added that the people of Shangla would actively support the government in the larger interest of the country and its people.

The governor inaugurated a Trout Fish Hatchery at Alpuri. He also planted a tea sapling to launch tea cultivation in the area.