PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet accepted a proposal on Tuesday to divide the South Waziristan tribal area into two districts for ‘better service delivery and management.’
Chief Minister Mahmood Khan presided over a cabinet meeting here. The conference was also attended by ministers, administrative secretaries, and other relevant personnel.
Later, government spokesman Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif informed reporters that dividing South Waziristan into Upper and Lower South Waziristan districts was a significant step toward making life easier for residents.
He said the Upper South Waziristan district would be composed of the tehsils of Ladha, Makin, Tayyarzai, Sarokai, and Shawal, with Spinkai Rakhzai as its headquarters, and the Lower South Waziristan district would be constituted of the tehsils of Wana, Shakai, Loi Khwla, and Birmil, with Wana as its headquarters.
Mr. Saif said that the cabinet also authorized the formation of two new sub-tehsils, Ahmadzai Wazir and Utmanzai Wazir, in the Wazir sub-division of Bannu district, for improved service delivery and management of the people.
According to the spokesperson, the conference also adopted the KP Livestock Sector Development Strategy and 10-year Business Plan for achieving the objectives of the KP Livestock Policy, 2018.
The proposed Fisheries Act, 2021, was also approved by the cabinet, according to the spokesperson, to ensure the protection, preservation, conservation, control, and management of fisheries biodiversity and aquaculture, as well as to increase the province’s revenue.
According to him, the establishment of the Project Development Facility in the planning and development department was also approved per the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public-Private Partnership Act, 2020, to provide funds for feasibility studies and capacity building, to support the appointment of consultants and experts, to organize investor promotion conferences, and to carry out other activities aimed at speeding up the development of such projects in the province.
Mr. Saif stated that the PDF will be made up of resources provided by the federal and provincial governments, government agencies, and domestic and international development partners.
The 10-member board will also include the secretaries of energy and electricity, finance, and the home department, as well as the KPCCI president and KPOGDCL CEO.
The cabinet has authorized the payment of Rs2 million in compensation to each household impacted by land acquisition for the 300MW Balakot hydropower project, claiming that the action will aid in the timely completion of the national project.
The delegates also looked at the progress made on the province’s Rs28 billion development projects, which include road building, water supply, healthcare, and higher education.
It accorded conditional approval to the solarisation of 2,000 mosques across the province, including tribal districts, as well as the regularisation of 45 trained staff members of the Swat Saif Blood Transfusion Centre and ordered the relevant authorities to take measures for the regularisation of the trained staff of other centers.
The chief minister directed the relevant authorities to take necessary measures for filling all vacant posts in departments and public sector organizations in tribal districts at the earliest to strengthen government offices and improve the quality of service delivered to the people.
He also said the local government and rural development department should place all TMA fire engines at the disposal of Rescue 1122 within a week as was decided in the last cabinet meeting.
