PESHAWAR, Feb 24: The NWFP government experienced discrepancies in its revenue receipts and current expenditure estimates because of zero-level transfers under the head of royalty on crude oil and natural gas so far during the current financial year, officials said.

The provincial government had projected to get Rs231 million under royalty on oil and Rs49 million under the head of royalty on natural gas during the same period. In all, Rs280 million was estimated to have been transferred to the province by the federal government under the two heads.

However, the province has yet to open its account under the two heads even after the elapsing of seven months of the fiscal year. The province, said an official, projected revenue estimates under the two heads in its current financial year's budget after the federal government intimated that it would start getting royalty on crude oil and natural gas during the 2003-04 financial year.

The situation in this regard, he said, had given rise to suspicion among the officials that the province might not receive anything under the two heads during the financial year.

The Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited was expected to start commercial operations of the Gurguray gas filed, situated in the Karak district of the NWFP, sometime during the first quarter of the current financial year. As a result of which the province, too, was expecting to start receiving royalty on natural gas.

Similarly, commercial operations of the Shakkar Darra oil and gas field, situated in Kohat district, were also expected to commence during the same period as a result of which the federal government had intimated to the provincial government that it would start getting royalty on crude oil from the current financial year.

"We do not know when would the commercial operations would start, the only thing we know is this that we haven't received anything under the heads of royalty on crude oil and natural gas, so far, during the current financial year," said a provincial government's finance manager.

If the province ended up with zero transfers under the two heads during the current financial year, said a source, it would be the second consecutive year the province experienced such a situation.

The provincial government had projected to raise Rs160 million jointly under these heads during the 2002-03 financial year, including Rs125 million on account of royalty on crude oil and Rs35 million under the head of royalty on natural gas.