Millions of rupees earmarked by the Sindh government during the current fiscal year 2010-11 for various ‘ill-planned development schemes’ are likely to lapse without being utilised, it has emerged. Well-placed sources in Sindh Finance Department told Pakistan Today that the provincial government had allocated at least Rs 2.5 billion in the 2010-11 budget for improvement of different sectors but due to the inefficiency of the authorities concerned the budgeted amount was still lying unused.
At least 19 uplift schemes, to be executed by various departments – including Agriculture; Food; Irrigation and Power; Housing; Prison; Services, General Administration and Coordination; Culture and Tourism; Manpower and Employment; Auqaf; Education; Industries; and Mines and Minerals – are still awaiting their PC-I to be prepared by the respective departments.
Even the projects to be undertaken on special directives of the prime minister, such as the renovation of Faiz Mahal in Khairpur and special projects for Local Government Department etc, were not initiated within the stipulated time due to the apathy of authorities. Following are the schemes that could not be started in Sindh during the current fiscal year:
Infrastructure improvement at Thar coalfields with the cost of Rs 500 million; overall improvement of agriculture sector at the budgeted cost of Rs 100 million; grain storages’ construction in different districts through public-private partnership worth Rs 100 million; construction of Borstal Institutes at Mirpurkhas and Larkana with Rs 50 million each; construction of a bridge at Kellech Shaikh at RD-34 Gharhi Khero, Jacobabad costing Rs 5 million; mechanisation of concrete lining of canals in Sindh through Japanese grant worth Rs 5 million; improvement and modernisation of technical education with Rs 50 million; construction of Secretariat Complex costing Rs 50 million; construction of Judicial Complex at Milk Plant Karachi worth Rs 10 million;
setting up Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Museum at Sir Shah Nawaz Library, Larkana with Rs 20 million; technical education and vocational training institutes in Bhirya City, Naushero Feroz worth Rs 20 million; escalator installation at Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine worth Rs 10 million; improvement and strengthening of six special education institutions at division levels at a cost of Rs 20 million; and uplift of Sehwan Sharif, Jamshoro with a cost of Rs 50 million.
Besides, Rs 120 million were allocated under the head of special projects of Local Government Department and Rs 50 million for the Karachi Mega City project. Moreover, an amount of Rs 20 million was allocated for development in Karachi and Rs 10 million for the construction of retention weirs in rural areas of Karachi.
