KARACHI – Disappointed with the Centre’s reluctance to ensure smooth funding for the Larkana Industrial Estate (LIE), the Sindh government has decided to set aside Rs 2.40 billion in its fiscal budget 2011-12 in an attempt to ensure that the project sees the light of day, Pakistan Today has learnt. The LIE project came into existence soon after the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) accede to power, with President Asif Ali Zardari envisioning the scheme in slain party chairperson Benazir Bhutto’s home district. Sources told Pakistan Today that soon after the announcement of setting up the LIE, the Sindh Revenue Department had handed over at least 500 acres of forest land of Amrote I.P Forest – survey No 147 of Deh Samano, Taluka Bakrani, District Larkana – to the Sindh Industries Department. However, the land remains unutilised till now.
The decision to include the scheme in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2011-12 as a priority scheme was made in at a recent meeting of the inter-departmental priority committee after repeated denials from the federal government, sources claimed.
Sindh’s Planning and Development Department is already finalising work on the ADP 2011-12, since all administrative departments have submitted their schemes and meetings to firm up schemes will continue till the 15th, sources said. Interestingly, after Sindh’s decision to fund the scheme on its own, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has asked Sindh to submit a detailed feasibility report of the scheme which would expectedly be discussed in the meeting scheduled for the 20th, they informed.
It is worth mentioning here that a scheme initiated by any provincial government on the directives of the president or prime minister has to be funded by the federal government. However, this case is bizarre to the extent that Sindh’s authorities are deciding to fund it rather than wait for the Centre.
