PESHAWAR, June 30: The NWFP assembly on Wednesday approved 35 demands for grant of over Rs3.294 billion to meet additional expenditure projected in revised estimates by different departments in the previous budget (2003-4).

The house had approved 10 demands for grant of Rs433m on Tuesday. Despite the approval of a total of 45 demands of over Rs3.728bn, the government had failed to satisfy the lawmakers about the colossal non-developmental expenditures.

The house, however, unanimously approved demands for the grant tabled by the ministers. Opposing the huge grant of Rs488m for health department, opposition lawmakers alleged that the department had failed to provide any relief to taxpayers. Despite a huge allocation in the previous year's budget, hospitals were in a shambles, they observed.

Giving a bleak picture of the situation Qazi Mohammad Asad of Pakistan Muslim League said the headquarters Haripur was short of general medicines. Critical patients were sent to Ayub Medical Complex, Abbottabad, which is about 35km away from here, so most of the patients die on their way before getting any medical aid, he added.

He said the doctors posted at the civil hospital used delaying tactics and urged them (people) to visit their private clinics. The government should curb this unethical practice at its hospitals, he urged.

Israrullah Gandapur (PPP-S) said all those expenditures which were not tabled in the house for approval were shown in the next year's estimates, which was wrong. He asked the minister to explain him about the amount allocated for the 'housing subsidy'.

Anwar Kamal Khan (PML-N) said that the health department spent Rs500m on non-development expenditures and Rs 60m on development expenditure. This disparity itself was evident to gauge the government's version of its development philosophy, he added.

Mr Khan asked the minister to explain whether their government had withdrawn the institution-based practice (IBP) or the doctors were doing their private practice. The parallel administration at big hospitals were creating problems as the chief executives and medical superintendents both were doing the same job, he said.

Bashir Ahmed Khan Bilour of Awami National Party, opposition leader Shahzada Gushtasip, Abdul Akbar Khan of the People's Party Parliamentarians, also moved cut motions against the grant sought by the health department.

The opposition MPAs also moved cut motions against the grant of Rs216m for the additional ADP, Rs702m for the special programme and Rs172m for the districts programme, but after a heated debate, the MPAs withdrawn their cut motions.

None of the MPAs, who had moved cut motions against the grants for the co-operative department and rural and urban developments department, were present in the house, when Speaker Bakht Jahan Khan called them to speak on the cut motions. The speaker treated their absence equal to the withdrawal of their motions.

Earlier, speaking on the plight of a mother whose son had been kidnapped and detained by the Iraqis in Baghdad, minister for law and parliamentary affairs Malik Zafar Azam appealed to the Islamabad to urge the new Iraqi administration to secure the release of the kidnapped Pakistani.

Opposition leader Shahzada Gushtasip, Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the ANP and Anwar Kamal Khan of the PML-N spoke on the issue and appealed to his (kidnapped Pakistani) Iraqi captors of release him on humanitarian grounds.

The speaker said as the entire house was convinced that the Pakistani national was innocent and should be freed. The lawmakers of this house appealed to the federal government to convey their sentiments to the Iraqi administration, he added. He adjourned the session till 9.30am on Thursday.