Rs 300 million being spent on Quetta development

Balochistan Minister for Planning and Development Maulana Abdul Wasey said on Tuesday that the government was spending Rs 300 million on Quetta Development.
Responding to questions and supplementary questions during the session of Balochistan Assembly, the minister said the scheme named as Quetta Package was approved in Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2004.
Several development schemes, including broadening and footpath construction on Jaffar Khan Jamali Road at a cost of Rs 16 million, improvement of Jinnah Road from Circular Road to Imdad Chowk at a cost of Rs 67 million and broadening of Prince Road to Liaquat Bazaar Road at a cost of Rs 85 million are in progress under the scheme.
Moreover, the government has approved Rs 30 million for Chiltan Town and Rs 7.5 for Zarghoon town, which would be spent on development of the two towns. The minister further said that the provincial government had the authority to launch a development project up to Rs 1.2 billion. If the Federal government or any foreign aid agency had its share in the amount then the project was implemented after the approval of Ecnec.
To a question, the minister said there were 25 positions for Research Officers in Planning and Development Department, of which four were vacant and would soon be filled through Public Service Commission. Similarly, there are nine positions of Chief of Section in P&D; out of the total number seven are filled through the departmental promotion.
Senior minister said the government had launched two housing schemes ie Takhtani Housing Scheme on Eastern Bypass and Sra Ghurrgai Housing Scheme in Quetta. Work on the later would be started soon after it is approved from Cantonment Board Quetta.
He added that water supply pipelines had been laid down in Sariab areas, which would soon provide clean drinking water to the inhabitants of the area. He said that dozens of development schemes were in progress in the province, which were monitored regularly. To ensure better monitoring of the schemes, the government had purchased four vehicles for the monitoring officials, he added.
Wasey maintained that due to financial strains some development schemes had been revised. Moreover, launching of development schemes worth Rs 90.5 million in the constituency of an opposition member shows that the uplift schemes are not limited to some specific areas. Earlier, the session resumed an hour late with Deputy Speaker Balochistan Assembly Muhammad Aslam Khan Bhotani in Chair.