Merged Areas-Projects
By Fakhar Alam
PESHAWAR: After the decades long economic backwardness, poverty and poor infrastructure, the merged areas (erstwhile Fata) were now witnessing numerous completed and ongoing development projects undertaken under public sector development program (PSDP) and accelerated implementation program (AIP) meant to ameliorate lot of tribal people.
Given impetus to ongoing projects in merged areas, the government under its 10- year tribal decade strategy (TDS), was focusing on generation of employment opportunities, economic growth, increasing students’ enrolment, health facilities and creating spillovers for investment in the once hitherto neglected tribal areas to change destiny of tribesmen.
Bridging infrastructure gaps and improving human as well as socio-economic development sectors, the
the federal and Khyber patkhunkhwa government undertook scores of development initiatives under PSDP and AIP projects to boost infrastructure and agriculture productivity, promote technical education, food self-sufficiency, energy and sports uplift, water security and protecting land from floods.
Besides merger of about 28,000 Levy and Khasadar force into KP police, regularization of over 4,000 projects employees and almost hundred percent utilization of development funds in tribal districts, the government has spent about Rs2.3 billion on provision of equipment to hospitals and basic health units while electricity of six tribal districts hospitals linked to express line for enhanced power supply to domestic, business and industrial consumers.
Liver and kidney transplantation besides heart diseases and emergency treatment were brought under sehat cards program with provision of free treatment to over 1.2 million patients incurring Rs31 billion cost while all district headquarters hospitals (DHQs) would be upgraded in tribal districts.
Shahab Khan, senior planning officer, education department KP told APP that recruitment of 10,000 new teachers, repair of boundary walls of 1,439 schools and 1585 classrooms and establishment of 317 science and IT laboratories were achieved making positive impact on students’ education in merged areas. Likewise, Govt has accorded highest priority to education in merged areas by spending Rs3.5 billion on scholarship of students of tribal districts.
Besides construction work of Kurram-Tangi Dam in North Waziristan and completion of Gomal Zam dam of 17.4 MW in South Waziristan, the federal government expedited work on Mohmand dam costing Rs309.6 billion with capacity to produce 800MW electricity and gross storage capacity is 1.293 million acres feet (MAF). Supplementing 160,000 acres of existing land and about 18,237acres of new land in term of irrigation, Wapda official said that Mohmand dam annual benefits were estimated Rs 2.23 billion.
The project would help protect Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera from floods with annual Rs45.76 billion revenue in terms of flood mitigation and its overall benefits stand at Rs51 billion.
Wapda authorities said that over 300 million gallons of water per day would be provided to Peshawar from Mohmand dam for drinking purposes with Rs957 million benefits besides 2.86 billion units of environment friendly electricity to the national grid every year. The solarization of 300 mosques and installation of 11 KV Lines were also completed in merged areas.
Over 441 kilometers long new roads and 11 new bridges were built and 612 kilometers roads rehabilitated in different tribal districts. Following abolishment of draconian frontier crimes regulations (FCRs) and granting of constitutional rights; the government has approved mega Khyber Pass Economic Corridor (KPEC) to link Peshawar with Torkhum Khyber.
KPEC having 47.5 kilometers long four lane expressway, would connect Pakistan with Afghanistan and onward Central Asian Republics (CARs) through Jalabad-Kabul and Mazhar Sharif. “KPEC, a three year project for which the Federal Government would provide USD 385.6 million with KP government’s share of USD 75 million would be completed by 2025,” Fayaz Ahmad, Director Coordination, National Highway Authority (NHA) KP told APP.
The loan agreement was signed with the World Bank for construction of KPEC, he said, adding the expressway would start from Tarnab Peshawar and will bypass Peshawar City, Cantonment and onwards connect Jamrud, Landi Kotal and Torkhum of Khyber tribal district. It would have 22 bridges and flyovers, 139 culverts and two major interchanges and service areas besides other facilities.
“KPEC is currently in the designed preparation stage and hopefully practical work would start on it in February next year,” he said, adding with Torkhum border now open 24/7, traffic volume would further increase between Peshawar and Torkhum. He said an estimated 100,000 new jobs would be created for tribal people under KPEC.
After completion of KPEC and construction of an additional carriageway of Torkhum- Jalalabad road project costing Rs7344 million, the tribal people and local communities on both sides of the western borders would benefit from road connectivity.
Under the Economic Development Plan (EDP) focusing on 113 initiatives for development of merged areas and about 55 projects worth Rs 16 billion to be completed in North Waziristan in next three years and 57 projects worth Rs 24 billion in South Waziristan.
Establishment of 48 micro hydel plants, seven new grid stations and installation of 1000 transformers and 105 feeders achieved besides Rs1.1 billion loans for small and medium enterprises. Likewise, 1848 small and medium grade industrial units were restored.
Likewise, Rs1.2 billion were allocated for distribution of electricity and Rs four billion for construction of 711 news primary and secondary schools in the ongoing KP budget for merged tribal districts.
Besides allocation of Rs3.3 billion for renovation and rehabilitation of 1,318 schools and Rs4.3 billion for upgradation of 1435 schools, the government allocated Rs10 billion to extend Rescue 1122 service to all tehsils and Rs3 billion for empowerment of women.
Tariq Waheed, Planning Officer, Mineral Department KP said that a marble city was established in Mohmand district besides small industrial estates in Bajaur and South Waziristan providing jobs to thousands of tribal youth.
Similarly, fruit nurseries on 28,000 acres land, seeds on 33,000 acres and fruit plants on 30,000 acres were set up to bolster horticulture and floriculture in tribal districts. To save waste of irrigation water and protect soil from floods, the government constructed flood protection walls of over 65,000 meter, 16 small dams, 38 check dams and 148 irrigation tube-wells.
Besides construction of about 2,485 playgrounds and spending of Rs5 billion on rehabilitation of sports facilities, as many as 25 tehsil municipal administrations and 711 village and neigbourhood councils were established 1382 water supply schemes constructed in merged areas.
To combat climate change, 10 billion trees afforestration project (I0BTAP) has been extended to merged tribal districts to bring its vast land under forestry cover. Monson plantation continued across Khyber Pakthunkhwa including merged tribal districts where 37.5 million saplings of different species would be planted, said Gulzar Rehman, Conservator Forest Department.
In south forest region-I including South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Orakzai, Kurram and Khyber, a total of 19.624 million saplings would be sown, he added.
Government would spent Rs10.7 billion on development of agriculture, 11.6 million for clean drinking water, Rs12.7 billion on urban development, Rs100 million for senior citizens, Rs50 million for transgender welfare and Rs260 million for minorities’ uplift. Similarly, Rs25 billion would be spent on small industrial units as well as SMEs and provision of interest free loans to youth of Khyber Pakthunkhwa including tribal districts.
