Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Engineer, Shaukatullah on Wednesday said that all 171 fisheries farms in Fata should be made functional during the current financial year and efforts should also be initiated to regulate the system; protect farming and make them fully beneficial for the respective population.
Presiding over a meeting to evaluate the monthly visit reports of the heads of various attached departments of the Fata Secretariat at Governor’s House, Peshawar, he said that only 69 out of 171 projects are in working condition, poses a big responsibility on part of the respective department and there is a need to further concentrate on the ongoing arrangements to make the measures in this connection fully productive.
The Governor said that efficient and transport working of nation building departments is must in Fata to make the ongoing measures of the government result oriented and keeping in view the ground realities, it is also highly necessary that the respective senior authorities should regularly visit all the mega projects; inspect respective institutions and ensure useful and efficient functioning of the respective officials possible.
Difficulties do exist, but each and every officials; the senior authorities in particular need to move efficiently and actively; make their presence possible at each development project and get detail report on its progress; usefulness and sustainability, he said.
The Governor further observed, “there exist vast scope and potential to work and we all have to work hard to make a visible change possible. Optimum level of working as well as making the utilisation of available resources have to be ensured and I, myself will evaluate progress on monthly basis”, he said.
Working of Agriculture, Irrigation, Fisheries, and Sports coupled with the relevant subsidiary projects in particular came under discussion and the governor desired that the available potential should be utilised to the optimum level. Similar is the case in respect of Agriculture and Forestry sectors, he remarked and said, soil erosion is the most critical and severe problem in Fata which can be contained to a great extent by focusing upon promotion of forests and agriculture.
“There is also the need not only to streamline line the existing arrangements but also encourage direct involvement of the respective people in development of their respective areas and promote forestry in particular”, he said. Talking on another point, he remarked, availability of almost two million plants at nurseries across Fata at present is a big opportunity to promote forests and the department should focus on public involvement and provide saplings on nominal price to respective people to promote forests.
The Governor, however noted with appreciation that fish farming is in progress in all the small dams, completed so far in Fata. The bee farming, the Governor said, is another such sector which, if promoted to the desired level, can contribute significantly towards promotion of economic activities. He, however, expressed concern over prevailing state of working of the department in this respect and desired that it should facilitate respective people in promoting bee farming rather carrying forward the entire responsibilities at its own.
Referring to inspection reports, detailed out by heads of various national building departments on this occasion, the Governor said, from next monthly review meeting onward, each and every document should be supported by documentary evidences. Meanwhile, the heads of various nation building departments briefed the governor about the conclusions, which they have made while visiting to various projects and institutions across Fata over the past one month.
