PESHAWAR, Nov 24: The NWFP government has raised over Rs50m as abiana (water rate) during the first four months of the current financial year achieving hardly 19 per cent of the total annual target of Rs303m target, official sources told Dawn.

The Rs303m total annual target involved a sum of over Rs160m accrued as arrears payable by the farmers community as on July 1, 2001. Besides, a separate amount of Rs56m has been set as target for the current Kharif crop and Rs80m for the Rabi crop.

The money raised, in the first four months of the current fiscal year, according to sources, appears to be much less than the target set on proportionate basis for the same period.

By the close of the first four months of the 2001-02 financial year the provincial receipts under abiana head was supposed to be over Rs100m on proportionate basis but the receipts appear to be some Rs47m less than the four months’ target.

However, substantial amount of receipts was recorded during the last month (October 2001) after a total of over Rs28m was raised (in one month) against over Rs24m recovered during the first three months of the fiscal year. Improvement in recoveries, recorded in October, 2001, was, however, attributed to the 25 per cent raise the province(s) effected in water rates in line with the federal government’s international commitments.

Despite the fact that province recorded considerable improvement in terms of recoveries, recorded during the fourth month of the fiscal, the authorities concerned of the provincial government appeared to be skeptical about the government’s capacity to meet the annual target.

The province needs to raise over Rs275m during the last eight months of the current fiscal, which, in view of the past performance of the provincial receipts collection machinery - in this case happens to be the irrigation department, NWFP - appears to be a daunting task.

However, senior officials of the Board of Revenue (BoR), when contacted, appeared optimistic attaching extra hopes to the newly introduced local government system.