GILGIT, Oct 24: The Northern Areas Deputy Chief Executive Fida Muhammad Nashad has said that the government is considering granting assembly status to the Northern Areas Legislative Council (NALC) on the pattern of Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly in the near future.

He said that necessary drafting and summary work had been prepared and the approval was expected soon.

Mr Nashad said that the government was taking keen interest in removing the sense of deprivation and uncertainty in the area by initiating a number of reforms in constitutional framework of Northern Areas.

He said the government had upgraded the status of erstwhile NALC by delegating it legislative powers.

He expressed the hope that more advisers would be inducted in the NALC to facilitate the NALC functioning and more job avenues would be created to accommodate the educated youths of the region.

Mr Nashad said that during the current budget education, health, water and power and tourism sectors had been given priority to improve the socio-economic conditions in the area.

To a question, Mr Nashad said that Northern Areas needed 300 megawatt of electricity to meet its power requirements and the government in principle had decided to undertake at least three mega hydro-power projects to meet the energy requirement of the area.

He outlined that a proposal had already been submitted to Wapda chairman during his recent visit to Gilgit for construction of a 1400-megawatt power station by harnessing hydro potential of the Indus River at Bunji, Diamer and Wapda chairman was optimistic about its feasibility.

The power project at Bunji, Mr Nashad hoped, would earn precious foreign exchange in terms of royalty by selling its 60 per cent surplus power to the NWFP.

He said that for the promotion of tourism the Northern Areas administration had allocated Rs3 million for beautification and widening of roads.