PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s new Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan has said he was planning to reduce by at least Rs200 million the cost of the Fata House in Islamabad by making changes in its design and facilities.
Talking to The News, he said he had asked the concerned officials to reconsider the plan for the Fata House to keep the project small and reduce the construction costs. “We need to scale down the project as the money should be spent on the people of the tribal areas instead of grand buildings,” he argued.
Sardar Mehtab said he didn’t want the governor’s apartment in the Fata House and was also opposed to have special lodges for the Fata parliamentarians in it. He said there was no need also to have a jirga hall at the Fata House in Islamabad. “The governor already has a cottage in Islamabad and the members of parliament from Fata are provided suites at the Parliament Lodges,” he added.
The Governor said there was no harm in having housing units for the Fata Secretariat employees serving at the Fata House, but the other proposed facilities weren’t really needed.
He said the projected cost of the Fata House was Rs400-500 million and it could go up to Rs600 million because the costs are kept low initially and then gradually scaled up. “Inshallah we would save Rs200 million by making changes in the design of the Fata House,” he added.
The Governor said he would be receiving briefings from the concerned government officials for at least three days starting from Monday. He said he had told the administration that focus of attention should be people of Fata instead of individuals.
He also expressed his intention to pay greater attention to the internally displaced persons from Fata to address their grievances. “We should be kind and generous to our people who have suffered. We have to help them rebuild their lives and assist in their rehabilitation,” he added.
