PESHAWAR, June 10: NWFP Minister for Revenue Maulana Mohammad Asmatullah has said the government has set Rs950 million revenue target for 2006-07.

Speaking at a press conference at the Media centre here on Saturday, he hoped that the revenue target, which was Rs150 million more than previous year’s target, would be achieved easily.

He said concrete steps and reforms introduced in the revenue department had brought about positive results. He said people owning up to five acres of land had been exempted from paying taxes.

He said the provincial government had launched a comprehensive plan to computerise land record and allocated Rs2 million for the purpose.

He said computerisation of land record in Dera Ismail Khan and Chitral districts had been started.

The minister said action had been taken against corrupt Patwaris and a number of them had been sent to jail. He said inquires were in progress against other officials allegedly involved in corruption.

Mr Asmatullah said the government had established five revenue appellate courts, one each in Peshawar, Mardan, Swat, Abbottabad and Bannu, to ensure early disposal of people’s complaints. Besides, he said, open kutchehris would be held to solve problems of the common man.

He said action would be taken against those who had occupied government land and the government had formed a committee for the purpose. However, he claimed, not a single piece of land had been occupied in the MMA tenure.

He said the government had also formed a committee to fix rates for giving land on lease.