Mohmand Dam to address energy crisis, bring barren land under plough: minister

CHARSADDA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights Barrister Sultan Muhammad Khan said on Sunday that the construction of the Mohmand dam would not only overcome the energy crisis, but also help bring millions of acres barren land under cultivation.

Talking to reporters here, he said the contract for the reservoir had been awarded to a firm and work on the project would be inaugurated soon. He said royalty from the Mohmand dam would be given to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Mohmand tribe. The minister said some elements were trying to make this project controversial for their vested interests. Sultan Muhammad said the judicial and policing systems would soon be extended to the tribal districts that were merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said 3 percent funds from the National Finance Commission Award would be spent on the uplift of the tribal districts. The minister said the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa govt was taking steps to provide relief to the people as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He said the government would honour the pledges made with the people as it had made plan during its 100 days. Insisting that the civil cases would be decided within a year, he said the judicial system was being upgraded so that the litigants could get timely justice. He said senior members of the opposition were playing a positive role in the provincial assembly, adding that it was their right to criticise the government and point out its mistakes. “The opposition should also contribute input to the legislation so that laws could be made for the welfare of the people,” he remarked. The minister said the federal govt had announced identical local government systems for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. He said under the proposed system, more powers would be delegated to the LG representatives.