HARIPUR, July 14: Minister of State for Finance Omar Ayub Khan has said that the federal government will directly disburse a supplementary grant of Rs150 million on the need basis to all those districts that have been ‘neglected’ by the NWFP government while allocating development funds for the fiscal year 2007-08.

Speaking at a news conference here on Saturday, he accused the MMA government of allocating a major chunk of the provincial budget to only two southern districts of the chief minister’s choice. He said the other districts, including Haripur that had sacrificed its precious land for the Tarbela dam, had been ignored. The minister said that the provincial government had been receiving Rs6 billion annually from the federal government on account of net hydel profit of Tarbela dam. But, he regretted, a specific share was never considered for Haripur.

Mr Omar termed the provincial government’s announcement of allocating 5 per cent hydel profit for Haripur a ploy to befool the people. He said that if the MMA government had been serious in making such an allocation for Haripur, the the decision should have been approved from the assembly in the budget session.

Rejecting a demand of rebate on the electricity bills for the people affected by the construction of Tarbela dam, he said it was impracticable because Wapda was a loss-bearing entity and such kind of decision would deepen its financial crisis.

The minister said that under the NFC award the provinces had received an additional grant of Rs90 billion during the last fiscal year. They would receive 46 per cent from the divisible pool during 2007-08, he said, adding that the quantum would be enhanced gradually to 50 per cent in next three years. He said the distribution of resources had been made equitably in line with the provision of the constitution.

About development projects for his constituency, NA-19, he said that Rs950 million had been earmarked in the budget for electricity, Sui gas, road carpeting, water supply projects, sports activities and parks. He said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz would soon visit Haripur to lay the foundation stone of 4000 family quarters for the industrial workers at Hattar and inaugurate a vocational training school.