Federal Minister for Women Development Sumaira Malik on Tuesday inaugurated Women Crisis Centre in Khushab costing Rs 7.495 million. While talking to Business Recorder a spokesman of the Women Development Ministry said that more crisis centres to be established for destitute women of Khushab to give this facility at the doorstep.
He said that Sumaira Malik will also soon inaugurate a Sui gas supply scheme for Khushab. However, sources said that the Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) had approved project one year ago, and on the directions of the Federal Minister Sumaira Malik, the work on the project is being expedited.
The Ministry had undertaken establishment of women crisis centres in Faisalabad, Nawabshah, Mirwala, Rawalpindi, Swat and D.G Khan costing Rs 55.615 million which fell prey to local government rifts and bureaucratic sluggishness, they said. Sources said that in Faisalabad, the rift between Nazim and District Co-ordination Officer (DCO) is the main reason due to which the women crisis centre could not be opened resulting in sufferings of the destitute women. Nawabshah is a violence-hit area where destitute women desperately need a crisis centre for shelter.
Nawabshah women crisis centre has the total cost of Rs 8.877 million and the allocation in the previous fiscal was Rs 0.993 million. The allocation in 2007-08 remained Rs 1.2 million. However, the cumulative utilisation remained Rs 1.749 million, they said.
Sources said that the total cost of the Faisalabad women crisis centre is Rs 8.877 million and the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) allocation in the previous fiscal was Rs 0.99 million whereas the allocation for the fiscal 2007-08 is Rs 0.66 million.
The women crisis centre of Rawalpindi was started with the total cost of Rs 13.994 million and the allocation for the previous fiscal was Rs 0.746 million. However, the cumulative utilisation remained Rs 5.396 million, they said.
Sources said that the total cost of the Mirwala crisis centre is Rs 8.877 million and the allocation in the previous fiscal was Rs 0.99 million. The allocation in the current fiscal is Rs 0.4 million. However, the cumulative utilisation remained Rs 1.749 million.
Sources said the establishment of women crisis centre in Swat is also in doldrums. Rs 7.495 million is the total cost of the project. The allocation in previous fiscal was Rs 1.127. However, the cumulative utilisation remained Rs 1.127 million. The total cost of the D.G Khan crisis centre is Rs 7.495 million and the PSDP allocation in the previous fiscal was Rs 1.127 million. However, the cumulative utilisation remained Rs 1.127 million, they said.
Huge budgetary allocations and low utilisation is not the solution of the problem rather speedy implementation is need of the hour, the sources said.