PHC summons secretary for dropping Peshawar uplift schemes

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday directed secretary Planning and Development Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to appear in person and explain as to why the development schemes duly approved by the legislators were dropped from Annual Development Programme (ADP) for 2015-16.

“It is regretful that the government has again failed to respond to the query put by this court. We provide the last opportunity to the government to explain why the development schemes duly passed by the legislators were dropped,” a division bench comprising Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Abdul Shakoor said in a brief order passed after hearing arguments in the case.

However, the court directed the secretary Planning and Development Department to appear in person before the court on July 11 and explain the government position in this respect. On Tuesday, last, the court had directed the provincial government to produce record of its claim that the development scheme of Rs970 million for the provincial capital was dropped from the ADP for 2015-16 by the provincial assembly.

During hearing, additional advocate general, Waqar Ahmad submitted before the bench that the government wanted to file a better statement in the case as there was contradiction in the comments of Planning and Development department and Local Government department. However, the court observed that there was no need for submission of better statement as it would be better to summon secretary Planning and Development Department to explain position for dropping the schemes from ADP.

However, the petitioner’s lawyer Shumail Ahmad Butt submitted that the provincial government had adjourned the case four times and thus only wanted to delay the matter.The court had issued notice to the chief minister through his principal secretary directing him to submit reply as to why a development scheme of Rs970 million for the provincial capital was dropped from the ADP.

The notice was issued in a writ petition filed by lawmaker Ziaullah Afridi through his lawyer Shumail Ahmad Butt against Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and the provincial government for allegedly dropping his approved schemes related to drinking water, sanitation and roads repairing costing Rs970 million.