PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has said that his government is taking every measure within its defined parameters to get constitutional rights of the province.

He said this while chairing a meeting that finalised 24 demands of the Senate Special Committee that the provincial government had made to the federal government. Senator Noman Wazir, Senator Shibli Faraz, provincial law minister Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi, chief secretary and the secretaries of various departments attended the meeting.

The CM was given a briefing about the recommendations of different departments.

Agreeing to the recommendations with some minor amendments, he directed the of ficials concerned to coordinate ef fectively and make preparations for achieving the rights of the province within the ambit of the Constitution and law.

He called for a permanent solution to the share of the province on net hydel power generation. `The A.G.N. Qazi formula is the best and permanent solution to this issue and it was approved by the Council for Common Interests (CCI),` he added.

Mr Khattak also agreed to the recommendation that it was the constitutional right of his government to get a loan under Article 167 of the Constitution. He also called for incorporating hydel power and other projects in the whole scheme of things.

The chief minister sought recommendations for the distribution and use of 100MCFD gas.

He said the provincial government wanted to use the gas for power generation for industrial consumption in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He also sought recommendations under Article 161(1)(b) of the Constitution to levy federal excise duty on oil along with the payment and the repayment mechanism. If the federal government failed to enforce it then it should allow the province to levy it, he added.

CM Khattak asked the authorities to keep updating him on the windfall levy on oil and gas and other issues. He said he would talk tothe federal government on this issue.

He also agreed to the recommendations for incorporating different schemes in the trade and energy corridor that included 10 projects in hydel power, industrial parks in Hattar, Rashki and Dera Ismail Khan, upgrade of Khwazakhela-Bisham road, setting up of tracking terminals, Abbottabad bypass, etc.

The chief minister also agreed to the recommendationsof the committeethatincluded a sovereign guarantee on hydel power and other projects, a special package for the security of the province, financial support for damage need assessment, the participation of the chief secretary in the meetings of all CCI meetings, provision of special incentives for the industrial units in KP and the National Finance Commission award.

Mr Khattak also agreed to the recommendations against loadshedding. He added that the federal government would have to supply 13.5 per cent share of electricity to the province and share the schedule of power production and distribution.

He hinted at taking action against power theft provided the recommendations of the provincial government were incorporated in the terms of reference.

Mr Khattak also stressed the need for upgrading the infrastructure of electricity in the province.

He called for sending a letter for the royalty of the province on liquefied petroleum gas. If this was not resolved then the provincial government would have no other option but to approach courts, he warned.

The CM asked the officials concerned to pursue the realisation of the Chashma irrigation scheme, which is part of the Public Sector Development Programme.

He said that the provincial government would share 30pc and the federal government would provide 70pc funds for the Rs120 billion project that would bring almost 300,000 acres of barren land under cultivation.

The chief minister also directed the authorities to monitor the pace of road infrastructure schemes of the National Highway Authority that fell in KP so that these could be completed on time.