PESHAWAR, Jan 10: Federal Minister for Water and Power, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has said the present government has come into power through popular vote and is therefore committed to solving their problems within the shortest possible time.

He was speaking at a public meeting some 70km from Dera Ismail Khan.

Sherpao said the government was concentrating on electrifying the remote rural areas.

He said immediately after his taking over as minister for water and power he released an amount of one billion rupees of NWFP share in electricity profit.

He said that the first time in last decade the power rate had been reduced by 12 to 19 paisas.

He promised to reduce it further in order to give relief to the poor people. Underlining the need for better irrigation facilities to the people of D. I. Khan, the federal minister said efforts were being made to start work on lift canal.

Similarly, he added work on Gomal Zam project had already been started. He hoped that on completion, this unique multi-purpose project would help lessen the miseries of the down-trodden people of this backward areas.