15 replies to this topic

[Alam]

Eco-friendly projects for Malakand

PESHAWAR : The NWFP government will launch a new environmental rehabilitation programme aimed at improving people’s economic condition in four most under-developed districts — Swat, Shangla, Buner and Malakand Agency.

The project will be completed in two years and will cost Rs20 million. The Malakand Rural Development Project (MRDP) will provide 70 per cent of funds while the chief conservator of forests (Malakand Circle) will implement the project with the cooperation of local communities.

An agreement was signed here by Provincial Environment Secretary Noorul Haq and Project Director MRDP Muhammad Ashfaq Khan at office of the secretary environment in Peshawar.

MRDP had launched development projects in communication, agriculture, education, health, water supply and other social sectors costing billions of rupees in the four districts with the financial assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB). However, the environmental aspects were previously ignored.

But then the forestry, fisheries and environment sector has also been made part of the project owing to the efforts and contacts of the Secretary Environment in this respect while the PC-I of the project was specially amended with consent of the ADB for this purpose and required funds were arranged accordingly.

Under the programme, nurseries and orchards will be raised and fish farming projects will be completed and will later be handed over to local communities after the projects begin production.

The scheme is expected to help increase the yields of timber, fruits and fish products in the Malakand area besides providing the local population with additional job opportunities.

The secretary environment is reported to have directed the authorities concerned to ensure public participation in the schemes and called for launching a mass contact campaigns to create public awareness about the projects.

Source: Pak Tribune

[Alam]

Jadoon assures gas facility to Malakand agency

By our correspondent

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Amanullah Khan Jadoon has said that the government was providing Sui gas facility to Malakand Agency and projects worth billions of rupees were also underway.

He said this while talking to a 15-member delegation of notables and elected representatives led by MNA Mukhtiar Mani which called on him here on Thursday, says a press release.

The minister said that the government was ensuring provision of gas, electricity and drinking water for all by 2007 and according top priority to the far-flung areas aimed to bring them at par with the developed ones.

He said that the government has allocated a record amount of Rs415 billion in the current fiscal year which would bring revolutionary change in the life-style of the people.

The minister said that the government was focusing on the well-being of the people and implementing plan of action to alleviate the poverty and backwardness from down-trodden areas.

Mani thanked the minister for providing gas facility to the Malakand Agency and said that it would generate socio-economic development activities in the areas to greater extent.

Source: The News

[Alam]

Plan approved for eye care facilities in Fata

By our correspondent

PESHAWAR: Governor NWFP Lt-Gen (retd) Ali Muhammad Jan Orakzai has approved a crash programme for improvement and development of eye care facilities in Fata and emphasised the need for creating awareness about eye related diseases to curtail the ratio of sightlessness in Fata and educate people on the importance of treatment and precautionary measures, says a handout.

Talking during a presentation on Comprehensive Eye Care Programme made by renowned Ophthalmologist and Rector Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology Professor Dr Muhammad Daud here at the Governor House Saturday, the governor announced that the programme would be implemented throughout Fata including FRs. He directed filling of all vacancies of eye specialists in Fata hospitals and approved establishment of a separate mobile Eye hospital for Fata besides 12 posts of ophthalmic technicians in the Agency HQs hospitals.

The Mobile Eye Hospital would be fully equipped having operation and other latest treatment facilities. The hospital would visit remote areas to provide eye treatment to the tribesmen.

In the presentation, the governor was informed about the Vision 2020 Pakistan Programme as well as Comprehensive Eye Care Programme, under implementation in the province and Fata. He was informed that under the programme, Rs 75 million had so far incurred on this eye care programme in Fata. During the period of implementation more than 52,000 eye patients have been treated and nearly 7,000 operated upon.

The governor while directing to launch special campaign to improve the eye care facilities in Fata stressed that attention must be given to control Trachoma and child blindness. The governor-expressed concern over the increasing number of eye related illness and urged that not only the treatment facilities should be expanded but also the quality of treatment be upgraded as well.

He urged the authorities to launch a media campaign to create awareness. "The people must know what is actually needed and where are the facilities available," he stressed, saying one of the reasons of presence of increased number of eye patients in Fata was the unawareness about the diseases and treatment mode and facilities.

Source: The News

[Jilawatan]

Rs1,178m to be spent on Fata projects

PESHAWAR, Nov 5: The federal government will spend Rs1178 million to complete 179 communication schemes in Fata to make it more accessible and link it with main highways of the country.

The government has allocated Rs181m for 23 new schemes and Rs997m for 156 ongoing projects in Fata’s ADP 2006-07 to open the rugged and difficult mountainous tribal terrain for investment.

“Construction work of blacktopping of five-kilometer Barang road and blacktopping of Khar Tangi road in Bajaur agency for which Rs12m and Rs30m has been earmarked respectively will help bring Fata more closer reducing the geographical gap between tribal areas and rest of the country,” official sources here on Sunday.

The government will construct bridge at Ambar Khwar and Swat River along with roads in Mohmand agency costing Rs60m while Jamrud-Mulagen to Landi Kotal road costing Rs50m would be made on ground in current fiscal in Khyber agency.

Blacktopping of 8km road from Janakor to Musa Dara in FR Peshawar, widening and blacktopping of 10-km road from Makharani to Surpakha-Gogani, B/T road from Sro Ghargo to Pastwani of 4km in Kurram Agency and two bridges in Waziristan agency would be constructed.—APP

[Jilawatan]

I can already see this thread sinking to the bottom. Ohh well

[Jilawatan]

Uplift plan for Fata unveiled



Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, April 12: The government on Thursday unveiled a nine-year development plan for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). The project will cost $2.6 billion, which will be met through local resources and foreign funding.

The Sustainable Development Programme was launched at a donors’ conference held at the Governor House here on Thursday. The conference was attended by representatives of different donor agencies, UN bodies, relief organisations and diplomats. Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai was also present.

At a press conference later, Fata’s secretary for security Arbab Mohammad Arif said donors were briefed on the implementation strategy for the project. He said the main objective of the programme was to ensure justice, peace and an equitable society in Fata.

Highlighting salient features of the programme, Fata’s planning and development secretary Kazim Niaz said half of the project cost would be met by the federal government and from resources to be generated by the Civil Secretariat, Fata. The remaining amount will be provided by international donor and lending agencies.

He said the conference was a preliminary session for the forthcoming Pakistan Development Forum to be held in Islamabad on April 27.

He maintained that the donors were given a briefing about the unfunded portion of the programme to seek their assistance. He said the government needed foreign assistance in the health, road, education and forestry sectors.

Mr Niaz said the “intervention phase” of the programme would be spread over five years under which $300 million would be earmarked for education, $190 million for health, $25 million for rural development, $100 for agriculture, $25 million for livestock, $50 million for housing, $100 million for forest, $100 million for irrigation and $520 million for roads.

A senior official of the Fata Development Authority, Saleem Khan, said delegates were informed about functions of the newly-created body and its future planning for the area.

He said the authority required Rs13 billion for industrial development, exploration of minerals and human resource development. He said the FDA would generate the amount from its own resources.

About establishment of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones in tribal areas, he said discussions were under way with the US government and the Chamber of Commerce. He said sites had been identified for the proposed zones in Shah Kas (Khyber Agency), Matani (Frontier Region, Peshawar) and Mulagori (Mohmand Agency).

[waseem]

Army engineers busy in development work in tribal areas

Written by pub
Wednesday, 09 May 2007
ISLAMABAD, May 9 (APP):Engineers of Pakistan Army are busy in carrying out unprecedented development work in Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) to improve living standard of tribal people and bring the area at par with the developed areas of the country.Efforts of Army engineering Corps is being highly appreciated at local level, a PTV documentary said.

The tribal belt of the country is spread over more than 27,000 square miles. It is located on Pak-Afghan border, and consists of seven agencies namely Bajaur Agency, Mehmund Agency, Khyber Agency, Orakzai Agency, Kurram Agency, North Waziristan Agency and South Waziristan Agency.The government has planned several projects for the development of tribal areas, which include improving communications infrastructure, supply of electricity, provision of basic health facilities, provision of clean drinking water and education facilities.These development projects would provide the basic amenities of life to the people of the area, raising their standard of living and bringing them at par with other developed areas of the country.The government has planned to lay 1,921 kilometer long road network in the entire region, while 1,409 kilometre roads have been completed upto now.Improving road network in the mountainous area would ultimately bring progress, development and prosperity in the area.Plan for road network of 215 kilometre road was approved in the Mehmund Agency, while work on 166 kilometre on it has been completed till now.Out of 206 kilometers road in Khyber Agency, 125 kilometre of road have been completed. 151 kilometre road out of 169 kilometre have been completed in Orakzai Agency. 164 kilometre road out of 193kilometre, 380 kilometre out of 527 kilometre, 424 out of 631kilometre road have been completed in Kurram Agency, North Waziristan Agency andSouth Waziristan Agency respectively.In education sector, the government had ambition to build 33 schools and colleges in the area, while work on 32 schools has been completed and other is under construction.Even in some areas due to the shortage of teachers, staffers of Pak army education corps are imparting education in schools.To provide the basic health facilities to the people of tribal areas, the government is constructing three basic health units for which an amount of Rs. 66 million has been allocated.In the area, 125 regular medical camps and 88 special medical camps are operating. Upto now, 30,0000 patients visited these camps, and provided medical facilities, while 794 eye operation have also been conducted.Out of 32 schemes for provision of clean drinking water, work on 25 schemes have been completed, while work on remaining is underway.710 hand-pumps, out of 935 have been installed. 20 wells and 18 tube-wells are also being dug and sunk to ensure the provision of clean drinking water.The government has also plan to construct 10 watercourses for irrigation purposes.To meet the electricity requirements, 12 small thermal power stations are being installed.One cricket ground and fourteen children parks have been constructed in the area.Pak Army is ensuring provision of edible items on 50 percent discount on eve of religious and national festivals. The services of Pak army are being extremely admired by the inhabitants of the tribal belt, and they vow to put their all energies for development, prosperity and defence of the Pakistan.

[Jilawatan]

[acid00]

good stuff... but where in FATA is the question...currently it seems we have totally lost control of those areas....and they have been left to the mercy of the jahil local talban militias

[Jilawatan]

US Congress may delay Fata zones legislation



By Mubarak Zeb Khan
ISLAMABAD, Oct 25: The United States Congress is likely to put on hold for several months, possibly a year, legislation for setting up reconstruction opportunity zones (ROZs) in tribal areas and finalisation of a bilateral investment treaty till a new democratic set-up comes into power in Pakistan, Dawn has learnt.

US officials had earlier conveyed three possible dates to the Pakistani authorities for the passage of the legislation on ROZs, January 2007, May 2007 and October 2007, but little has been done so far in this regard.

According to an official source, the government has almost lost hope about early approval of the legislation by the US Congress or an accord on the remaining clauses of the investment treaty.

During his visit to Pakistan last year, US President George Bush had accepted Pakistan’s proposal on ROZs and announced that the zones would be set up in the economically deprived pro-Taliban areas on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghan border. Goods produced in these zones would get duty-free access to the US market.

An official source in the finance ministry told Dawn that the issues were to be discussed with the US authorities during the ongoing economic dialogue in Washington.

A diplomatic source told Dawn that the US Congress had called upon the government of Pakistan to hold fair and transparent elections and restore democracy and this could now be linked to the approval of the ROZs law.

The source was of the opinion that the US might pressurise the caretaker government to agree to its stance on the five controversial clauses of the BIT which have been delaying the finalisation of the agreement for at least one year.

[MAA]

FDA to spend Rs 700 million on uplift projects in four sectors

RECORDER REPORT
PESHAWAR (January 15 2008): FATA Development Authority (FDA) to spend Rs 700 million on assigned development projects in mineral development, small dams, skill development and industrial sectors in tribal areas during the current financial year.

This is told to Governor NWFP Owais Ahmed Ghani on Monday during a presentation on the working and achievements of the FATA Development Authority. Chief Executive FDA Muhammad Shahzad Arbab gave the presentation, which was also attended by Additional Chief Secretary FATA Habibullah Khan, Secretary to Governor Azmat Hanif, Secretary P&D Zafar Hassan and other officials of FDA.

The presentation covered all the aspects of the newly established organisation, which will work on corporate lines in order to ensure speedy and meaningful development of FATA. The Authority, it was added had decentralised the decision making process and had focused on development of human and natural resources alike. The annual budget of the Authority is Rs 700 million for the current year.

Highlighting the achievements of the Authority since its creation in November 2006, it was stated that a Marble City in Mohmand Agency costing Rs 351 million had been planned where development work was about to commence. The City, the first of its kind in FATA would offer attractive incentives to Marble industrialists and investors.

Other achievements of the Authority included institution-based Youth Skill Development Project under which the first batch of 247 trainees had completed the training and the 2nd batch comprising 668 trainees from FATA would soon be sent for training. 60 youth, who had completed training, had been provided employment up till now. Other development projects like construction of Small dams, coal and soap stone mining and establishment of Small Industrial Estates and Townships in FATA were also highlighted.

The Governor took keen interest in the development projects being executed by the FDA particularly the Marble City project and desired that work on it should be expedited.

He said that FATA was full of mineral resources, which needed to be explored and exploited using modern technologies. This, he added would ameliorate the lot of common tribesmen by enhancing their income and generating employment. On a point the Governor further desired that expenditure on establishment should be minimised to the extent that enough funds were available for real development.

source: http://www.brecorder...5...m=&supDate=

[Tekno Arkitect]

News and pix of Chitral

[Tekno Arkitect]

Micro hydel power stations to be set up in Chitral: Saleem

CHITRAL: Minister for Population Welfare Saleem Khan has said that micro level hydel power stations will be established in various locations of the scenic valley in order to promote alternate sources of energy and meet the shortage of electricity in the district.

He expressed these views while chairing a meeting of the Alternate Energy Conservation regarding identification of the sites for the construction of hydel power stations in his office on Saturday.

The meeting reviewed in detail the possibilities of the establishment of power stations in the district.

The meeting was told that there were great potentials for hydel power stations with capacity of generating 10-50KW electricity each at various places of the picturesque valley including Damail Gol, Arandu Gol, Ouch Gol, Koghozi, Rumboor, Birir, Madak Lasht etc which could not only meet the electricity need of the local population but could also be used as an alternate source of fuel.

The minister directed the concerned authorities to prepare a formal feasibility report of the same so as to proceed further in this regard.

Pensioners seek special relief package

The retired government officials have demanded of the government to announce special relief package for the pensioners in the upcoming budget to enable them to make both ends meet in present critical conditions.

Former secretary general of Pensioners Association district chapter and nazim UC Kosht Amir Khan Jalali who retired as a school teacher while talking to local journalists here Saturday said that pensioners had spent precious part of their lives in the government service.

He demanded of the president, prime minister and finance minister not to ignore pensioners in the forthcoming budget.- APP

http://www.statesman...al/national.htm

[Tekno Arkitect]

Korea commits $78 million for Malakand tunnel

President asks the business community to boost the trade volume from existing $1.5 billion to $2 billion in the next three years.

Pakistan and South Korea on Wednesday inked two agreements that will pave the way for the construction of Malakand tunnel and development of water resources including building of dams.

First agreement on the Malakand tunnel construction project was signed during a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Export Import Bank of Korea Chairman Kim Yong-Hwan here. Under the agreement, the Korean government will provide $78 million for the project through the Economic Development Cooperation Fund.

The Malakand tunnel will not only provide a short route to the people of Dir, Malakand, Swat and adjacent localities, but will also provide easy access to markets of central Asian states.

The project, spread over 9.7 km, also includes approach roads on both sides of the tunnel and three bridges. Korean consultants, in collaboration with the National Highway Authority, which is also the executing agency, have completed initial feasibility study of the tunnel.

Speaking during the meeting, President Zardari said Pakistan and Korea should explore the true potential of trade and investment and take bilateral trade to new heights. He asked the business community to boost the trade volume from existing $1.5 billion to $2 billion in the next three years.



He said major Korean companies were doing business in Pakistan and had invested in key projects including chemical plants, energy, infrastructure and port facilities. He asked the companies to cash in on numerous opportunities and incentives for investment as Pakistan had opened all sectors of the economy.

Later, the president met with Korea Water Resources Corporation CEO Kim Keun-Ho. After the meeting, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Korean company and Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda).

Under the MoU, both sides will work for sustainable development of the water and power sector and cooperate in flood control and building water resources including dams, hydropower plants and canals.

They will also exchange technical expertise, train engineers and technicians and conduct studies on operation and management of dams, hydropower plants, hydrology and sedimentation.