PESHAWAR, May 28: The NWFP Governor, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, has said that there may be complaints of deprivation at certain tiers of the local bodies, but the utility and viability of the new local government system is above board.
The governor was speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day workshop on “Reflection on Local Government Ordinance 2002,” jointly organized by the NWFP Local Government and Rural Development Department and the Essential Institutional Reforms Operationalization Programme (EIROP) here on Tuesday.
Promulgation of LGO 2001, he said, was no less than a revolutionary step in the history of the country as it transformed the entire state machinery, mode of governance and outlook on service delivery. “The essence of the system is reflected through devolution of political power, decentralization of administrative authority, de-concentration of management functions and diffusion of the power authority nexus aimed at ensuring the safeguard of the genuine rights of the citizens,” he added.
The governor said that the new system of governance ensured intense involvement of the stakeholders in the decision-making process.
He expressed the hope that the findings and recommendations of this workshop would go a long way in fine-tuning the new system. Provincial ministers Athar Minullah and Farid Rehman, district Nazimeen, DCOs, representative of donor agencies and councillor attended the workshop.
GOMAL ZAM DAM: The contract for the construction of multi-purpose Gomal Zam Dam will be awarded by June 15 and physical work on the project will start by July this year.
The Gomal Zam Dam project came under discussion at a high-level meeting presided over by Governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah here.
The meeting was informed that the feasibility study and detailed designing in respect of Kurram Tangi Dam would start within next two months and tenders for its physical work were expected to be floated by the end of next calendar year.
The meeting was attended by Wapda Chairman Lt-Gen Zulfiqar Ali Khan, chairman Pesco, provincial ministers Shamsul Mulk and Farid Rehman, Chief Secretary Shakil Durrani and secretaries of Home, Finance and Irrigation departments.