Peshawar, Nowshera, Swabi, Dir Lower districts main beneficiaries of KP budget 2016-17

PESHAWAR: The PTI-led coalition government has allocated major chunks of the development outlay to districts of the Chief Minister Khyber Pakthunkhwa, Speaker Provincial Assembly, Peshawar and Ameer Jamaat e Islami Pakistan in the upcoming budget 2016-17.

As per budget documents, Nowshera, the home district of the Chief Minister Pervez Khattak will receive maximum of development programme in budget 2016-17 where huge allocations have been made for development schemes like construction of Social Welfare Complex, construction of Jaroba dam, construction of Flood Protection Walls from Motorway Bridge to Kheshgi Payan on River Kabul, establishment of Joint Police Training Centre Phase-II and purchase of land for Motorway City Nowshera besides construction of district Jail Nowshera and judicial complex Nowshera.

Similarly, Swabi district represented by the Speaker of the KP Assembly Asad Qaiser would also get major chunk of development outlay in upcoming fiscal year. Construction of academic blocks at Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology Swabi, rebuilding of existing District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Swabi, purchase of land for Gajju Khan Medical College at Swabi, new campus of University of Technology and District Jail etc are one of the major projects announced in ADP 2016-17.

Peshawar from where PTI had clinched all four NA seats and majority of provincial seats in general election 2013 has attracted huge projects in budget 2016-17. The major projects reflected in ADP 2016-17 for Peshawar include establishment of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical College, purchase of furniture, machinery for Peshawar Institute of Cardiology, purchase of 1,17000 kanal land for construction of Peshawar Model Town and construction of inter change on ring road Peshawar.

The PTI Government has also announced construction of Jabba dam for clean drinking water for residents of Peshawar, establishment of new industrial zone at Peshawar, purchase of land for establishment of a Truck Terminal, establishment of Zoo at Peshawar and establishment of Criminology and Forensic Science Institute at cost of Rs200 million besides improving the conditions of Hayatabad, University Town and Regi Model Town with cost of Rsone billion and starting of 100 new air-conditioned buses in Peshawar by December this year in the budget 2016-17.

Dir Lower, the home district of former Finance Minister KP and JI Ameer Sirajul Haq whose party is the major coalition partner with PTI in the province did not lag behind in obtaining development funds to further bolster support of JI in the mountainous district where it has won almost all the provincial seats and national assembly. The major projects in Dir Lower are construction of Timergara Medical College and Complex for Special Education at Dir Lower besides others small and major uplift schemes for Dir districts.

The unjust distribution of the development program between these four selected districts of the province has received widespread criticism from legislatures both from the opposition and treasury benches and registered their complaints at various forums to this effect.

Saleh Muhammad, PML-N MPA from Manshera district told APP on Tuesday that the discrimination in development funds had created a sense of deprivation among people of the hitherto neglected districts of the province.

He complained the PTI Government tried their level best to accommodate their districts in the annual development programmes from where their members were elected in general election 2013.

The PMLN lawmaker snubbed the claims of PTI of judicious and equal distribution of provincial resources, saying the ADP 2016-17 is clear negation of this fact. In addition to opposition, he said, great resentment was found among even PTI lawmakers over unequal distribution of development funds and projects in budget 2016-17.

He said ADP was mainly focus on Nowshera, Swabi, Peshawar and Dir Lower districts from where big wigs of provincial government belong, adding ignoring other 21 districts would pass very negative impression on people besides creating frustration, deprivation and mental agony among them.

While criticizing the KP budget said Rs112 billion loans would be obtained by PTI Government to meet its shortfall for its Provincial Development Program worth Rs125 billion in the upcoming fiscal year that would put an extra pressure on provincial kitty.

He said this was a heavily taxed budget as almost all the provincial taxes have been readjusted upward to generate Rs200 billion for the provincial economy.

The people of PK 8 Peshawar had rejected PTI due to its negative policies in the recently held by election and reposed full confidence in PMLN, he said, adding PK-8 election was an eye-opener for PTI. Except Hayatabad flyover, he said PTI has failed to construct a mega project in the province during last three years and people of KP were deprived of development.