Though President Asif Ali Zardari could not ensure implementation of his own decision by his part’s premier and the federal government, the fate of development schemes worth more than Rs 12 billion initiated under the president’s directives hangs in balance as the planning commission is reluctant to go-ahead with these schemes.
The schemes were announced by President Zardari during his visit to Sindh in early 2011. However, no progress has been made on the schemes following the apathy of authorities in the planning commission, well-placed sources confided to Pakistan Today.
Most interestingly, the higher platform to resolve the pending issues of provinces with the center – the Council of Common Interests – had also given its decision in favour of Sindh but the influential bureaucracy at the federal capital threw away the CCI’s decision and refused to finance Rs 12318.836 million schemes.
The schemes included development of infrastructure in various estates of the Sindh Industrial Trading Estates (SITE) Limited at the cost of Rs 2,000 million, four Combined Effluent Treatment Plant (CETPs) for industrial areas of Karachi including laying of interceptor sewers at Rs 7,366 million, infrastructure development of industrial estates at Larkana at Rs 2,404.489 million and China industrial zone at Shahdadpur at the cost of Rs 548.347 million.
After the president’s announcement, the Sindh government’s planning and development department had submitted all the schemes with the planning commission for further procedure. However, the planning commission delayed the implementation process saying the provinces should arrange funds at their own as they had been empowered financially after the 18th Amendment and devolution process, the sources added.
As the planning commission was adopting delaying tactics, the Sindh government later approached the Council of Common Interests that gave a decision in favor of Sindh.
In its meeting presided over by then prime minister Yousuf Raza Gillani, the CCI had decided that the funding for the implementation of president’s/prime minister’s directives shall continue to be made by the federal government.
Besides, the CCI also decided: “The current expenditures of the devolved institutions/organisations/departments shall be borne by the provincial government beyond June 30, 2011”.
Moreover, in order to persuade the PC authorities for the huge financing of the schemes, the Sindh government recently forwarded a letter with a subject “Pending issues with planning commission, government of Pakistan.
“I am directed to state that as per decisions of Council of Common Interests (CCI) taken in its meeting held on April 28, 2011, under the chairmanship of prime minister of Pakistan, funding for the implementation of president’s/prime minister’s directives shall continue to be made by the federal government”, the sources said while quoting text of the letter forwarded to the planning commission.
“Since these schemes were initiated on the directives of honourable president of Pakistan, as such it is requested that the matter may kindly be taken up with the planning commission, government of Pakistan, to reconsider the schemes in the light of decision of the CCI dated 28-04-2011”, said a letter.
Now, the sources said the Sindh finance department was worried about the fate of such important schemes that were yet to get huge funding from the center.
