KARACHI: Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the federal government has only released Rs4 billion for the K-IV project, which is less than a quarter of the allocated amount of Rs16 billion and this shortfall will cause further delays to the project; therefore and he plans to approach Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to discuss the issue.

This he said while talking to media just after submitting the nomination papers of PPP Senate candidates Jam Saifullah Dharejo, Aslam Abro and their covering candidates Waqar Mehdi and Aajiz Dhamraha at the Election Commission of Pakistan, Sindh.

He said that both the PPP candidates would easily be elected as Senators from the provincial assembly. “We need only 108 votes against which we have 114 votes in the assembly.”

To a question, he that Mayor Murtaza Wahab is working tirelessly to develop Karachi into one of the most advanced cities in the world. As an elected mayor, he has all the necessary powers. He said that any further reforms in the local bodies’ law, if required, will be made by the Sindh Assembly.

Shah said that he had talked to the MQM for help in the election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Sindh Assembly. Presently, MQM leadership is in Islamabad for the Prime Minister’s election and we would approach them for the presidential election, he said.

He said that MQM and Sunni Ittehad Council have stakes in Sindh, therefore we would consult them for legislation, and other concerned matters. He said that maintenance of law & order was the responsibility of the provincial government for which he has given necessary instructions to the police and the Rangers. Shah stated that he intends to write a letter to the prime minister, requesting for the completion of the K-IV project. He emphasised that the K-IV project is crucial to meet the water requirements of the city. The federal government had allocated Rs16 billion for the project, but only Rs4 billion has been released so far. He expressed concern that if the remaining funds for the project are not released soon, it will cause further delays.

Murad Ali Shah said that on special occasions such as Ramadan, Eidul Azha and others the traders drop prices of edible items and clothes in other parts of the world but in Pakistan, the price of such items are deliberately increased which was unfortunate.