PESHAWAR, March 13: The NWFP government has collected over Rs155 million in abiana (water tax) during the first seven months of the current financial year, which is about 43pc of the annual target under this head.

Official sources said the gap between the revenue target and recoveries further widened at the close of the seventh month.

The sources said though the province was trailing behind the target, it surpassed the level of recoveries made during 2002-03 and 2001-02. The province had raised Rs150 million in abiana during 2002-03 and Rs152 million in 2001-02.

The sources said the new system of collecting abiana had started yielding good results in the second year of its introduction. Earlier, the Board of Revenue was responsible for collecting abiana while determining the annual target was the job of the irrigation department.