The timeline for the completion of schemes initiated in collaboration or assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB) needs to be fixed while top priority should be given to the completion of drainage, water supply and sanitation schemes in the cities coming under the Sindh Cities Improvement Programme (SCIP), said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah. He said this while speaking at a meeting regarding SCIP at the Chief Minister’s House on Monday. The meeting was attended by Adviser to Chief Minister on Planning and Development (P&D) Kaiser Bengali, Sindh Chief Secretary Abdul Subhan Memon, Additional Chief Secretary (P&D) Muhammad Ishaque Lashari, Secretary to Chief Minister Allamuddin Bullo and a seven-member ADB delegation.
In a detailed presentation at the meeting, ADB Urban Specialist Kathie Julian informed the participants that the $400-million SCIP aims at improving infrastructure and municipal utility services for about five million people through reforms and investments in the participating secondary cities of the province. “The programme is based on a multi-tranche financing facility, whereby ADB will provide $300 in five tranches and the Sindh government will contribute $100 million over a period of 10 years i.e. 2008 to 2018,” she said.
Julian added that the programme’s proposed interventions are: establishing Urban Utility Services Corporation; providing priority investments in water supply, wastewater and solid waste management; infrastructure for better coverage and reliability; forging partnerships through public-private modalities; and encouraging reforms and capacity development at a local level. The ADB’s specialist said the SCIP is currently working under the first tranche of $50 million, the loan for which was signed on February 2009 and became effective from March 2009.
She further informed that the North Sindh Urban Services Corporation (NSUSC), established for the secondary cities of northern cluster of Sindh, was responsible for implementing reforms and making investments in municipal structure in the cluster of six urban TMAs of Khairpur, Larkana, Shikarpur, Sukkur, New Sukkur and Rohri. The second phase will comprise Jacobaabad, Kandhkot, Ghotki and Rato Dero. Under the central cluster, Nawabshah, Moro, Nausheroferoz, Sangher, Shahdadpur and Tando Adam will be included, while under the southern cluster, Mirpurkhas, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan and Matli will be included in the SCIP.
It was informed at the meeting that under the priority project an amount of $7.681 million was allocated for Khairpur Water Management Project; six generators for Shikarpur; 11 portable dewatering sets; Larkana Wastewater Management Project; and acquiring priority equipment for Solid Waste Management project for all six TMA. While work has been completed on test drilling of well for Rohri water supply; solid waste collection equipment for all TMAs (seven rear-loading trucks, 33 side-loading trucks and 520 containers); Bunder Road and Numaish water treatment plants in Sukkur and Khaki Shah; water treatment plant in Khairpur; and construction of SCIP platform at a cost of $12.547 million.
ADB team members Director Ramesh Subram Unium among others also gave details of other schemes. 27 DOCTORS PROMOTED: Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah has approved promotion of 19 male and eight female general cadre doctors from BPS-19 to BPS-20. These doctors were cleared by the Provincial Selection Board No 1.
