CHARSADDA, Jan 26: The NWFP Governor, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, has announced a grant of Rs60 million for various development schemes of Charsadda district.

Speaking at a meeting of the elected representatives and elite of the district at Shiekhabad here on Saturday, the governor said that the new local body system would bring about a revolution in the country as it was intended to empower the people. He said that in this system decisions would always be taken collectively and there was no discretionary power rested with anyone.

The governor, however, cautioned that the system in itself would yield no good unless the people who ran this system were not sincere. He said the local representatives were required to monitor the functions of various government departments as well as prepare and implement the developmental schemes.

Highlighting the role of the elected councillors, the governor said councillors had a very important role of bringing various problems of their areas and irregularities in various government departments into the notice of the district government.

He said in this system the Union Council played a very important role because it was the base of this system. He assured that a UC Nazim could not implement a project unless the councillors of that union council did not approve the same. Similarly, a tehsil Nazim or district Nazim could not implement a project unless it was adopted by the tehsil or district assembly.

In his address of welcome district Nazim, Nasir Mohammad Khan, highlighted major problems of the district, including delay in the start of work on Naguman-Charsadda road, construction of a girls college in Tangi, provision of irrigation water to Doaba, reopening of the closed industrial units in the district and construction of a model school and a sports stadium in the district.

The governor agreed that he would try to work for the solution of all these problems.

Earlier, on his arrival the governor administered the oath to the newly-elected office-bearers of the District Bar Association.

Speaking on the occasion, the governor said that Pakistan today was facing various external and internal challenges. He said that our eastern neighbour was assembling army on the border while the crisis in Afghanistan was also not completely over yet.

He said on the internal front, the ideology of the Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah and even religion was hijacked by a few people who considered themselves the sole interpreters of Islam and no political government had dared to tackle this problem and as a result polarisation in the society had reached a point where the country seemed on the verge of a civil war.

On this occasion the governor announced Rs10 million for district headquarters and one million rupees for the construction of district bar. He also assured help in solution of various problems being faced by lawyers.