Timely completion of schemes: Murad forms bodies to coordinate with executing agencies

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has constituted district development committees so that the elected representatives of the area could coordinate with the executing agency of the schemes for their timely completion along with ensuring quality of the work.

He took this decision during a meeting held to review progress of 347 ongoing development schemes worth Rs 17.18 billion in three districts, Sukkur, Khairpur and Ghotki,.

The meeting, which took place at the Chief Minister's House here on Wednesday, was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, provincial ministers, Nisar Khuhro, Saeed Ghani, Shabir Bijarani, Nasir Shah, Sohail Anwar Siyal and Awais Qadir Shah, Chairman of P&D, M. Waseem, secretaries concerned and elected representatives, including senators, MNAs, MPAs, mayors and others.

The chief minister said that during the review of the development schemes, he found that there was a lack of ownership of the development works, so work was very slow. "Therefore, I have decided to constitute District Development Committees comprising elected representatives for developing close coordination with the executing agencies/concerned departments so that the ongoing schemes can be completed on time," he said. The chief secretary would notify the committees in the next few days.

Sukkur: In Sukkur district 120 schemes have been launched at a cost of Rs 7.06 billion against which the government has released Rs 4.26 billion while the expenditures are Rs 2.76 billion. It was pointed out that out of 120 schemes 38 on-going district specific schemes would be completed by the end of the current financial year while 25 other schemes would be completed by the end of the first quarter of the next financial year.

The important schemes of Sukkur include establishment of Horticulture Research Institute at Rs 119.2 million, expansion of 169 high priority schools at Rs 1.32 billion, restoration of Boys Degree College Sukkur at Rs 50 million, establishment of Women University Sukkur at Rs 2.7 billion, establishment of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain at IBA Sukkur at Rs 141.13 million, conservation of marine and fresh water turtle and allied species at Rs 60 million, construction of Ghulam M. Maher Medical College at Rs 4.7 billion and establishment of combined effluent treatment plant of 2MGD at SITE at Rs 325 million

Khairpur: In Khairpur district 159 schemes are in progress at a cost of Rs 7.38 billion against which the provincial government has released Rs 4.6 billion and the utilization of the released funds is Rs 3 billion which is 66 percent of the release.

The meeting was told that 29 schemes with an allocation of Rs 2.3 billion would be completed during the current financial year while 62 district specific schemes of Rs 3.67 billion would be completed by the first quarter of the next financial year.

The chief minister expressed his displeasure over the pace of development in 32 schemes against which all allocated funds have been released in one go but even then hardly 45 percent of expenditures have been made so far. These 32 schemes have an allocation of Rs 4.36 billion and 91 percent of funds or Rs 3.98 billion has been released while the utilization is 179.983 million.

Some of the important schemes of district Khairpur are establishment of Date-palm Research Institute Khairpur at Rs 81.7 million, reconstruction of Dargah Sachal Sarmast, Daraza Sharif at Rs 16 billion, restoration of conservation of Kotdiji Fort at Rs 147 million, rehabilitation of 164 high priority schools at Rs 942.7 million, up-gradation of Vocational Center at Kamal Jamro of taluka Gambat at Rs 30 million, and establishment of Mehran University College of Engineering Khairpur at Rs 1.14 billion.

Ghotki: In District Ghotki 68 schemes worth Rs 2.85 billion are in progress against which the finance department has released Rs 1.52 billion and the utilization is Rs 890.9 million which is 59 percent of the total releases.

The meeting was told that 16 schemes with an allocation of Rs 852.99 million would be completed by the end of the current financial year. The chief minister expressed his displeasure over slow pace of work on 10 schemes against which 75 percent funds have been released but the utilization is 46 percent. There are 15 other schemes of Rs 1.02 billion against which 70 percent of the allocated funds have been released in two installments, but even then progress on the schemes is 48 percent.