Setting up of Small Dams Corporation in doldrums

The proposed Small Dams Corporation has not been formally set up as differences among the chief minister and the members of the coalition parties represented at the Sindh Cabinet continues to deepen on administrative issues, it was learnt on Monday.
During the current year, the budget speech of Syed Sardar Ahmed, minister for excise and taxation, had announced setting up of Small Dam Corporation. The purpose of the Corporation, as was later informed, is to identify locations for the construction of small dams.
It was highlighted that large quantity of rain water that flows into the sea could be stored at different places and used for agriculture and drinking purposes. More than 300 locations exist and out of which only a few are to be selected in the first phase.
Sources said that the proposed project seemed to have been shelved as the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues were yet to co-operate with each other.
They said that along with the Small Dams Corporation the grand road projects for Sindh has also been shelved. For road projects an allocation of Rs 6.5 billion has been made in the budget - Rs 4.5 billion from the government sources and Rs 2 billion from the Asian Development Bank for Sindh Road Sector Programme.
Sources said that under the road project 400-km road is to be improved and 350-km is to be constructed afresh.
Before the road project is undertaken, a survey of the broken or washed away roads would be carried out. It would identify roads in need of repair and areas which needed new roads to connect farms and market, villages with nearest roads or to create link between the highways and the nearby villages and towns.
Sources said that the matter had come up for discussion on several occasions but no decision could been taken.
They said that the chief minister and the concerned ministers were not agreeing on the modalities and the political interference from the friends and the foes was increasing. "They all want construction of roads to begin from their areas."
Road projects envisaged in the Annual Development Plan 2005-06 are still in progress.
The compliance status of road projects is stated to be poor as only half of the work had been done.