Budgets and schemes: Durrani put in charge of CDGK till city council formed

Sindh to give city Rs5.4 billion for special packages.

KARACHI:

Until the city district council is formed, the minister for local government, Agha Siraj Durrani, will be controlling the city district government of Karachi (CDGK) and look after its affairs, said the chief minister on Tuesday.

In addition to this announcement, Qaim Ali Shah said that the Sindh government has allocated Rs5.4 billion for special packages and other development schemes in Karachi. The overall allocation this year for the CDGK schemes is Rs16 billion. “The provincial government will release 50% of the funds in July and the remaining 50% for the approved CDGK schemes in December,” said Shah.

Presiding over a meeting at CM House, Shah discussed the performance and problems of the CDGK. He wanted all schemes and projects to be finished in time and he said that no additional money would be given. “The CDGK and the district coordination officer (DCO) of Karachi, Muhammad Hussain Syed, are responsible for this,” he remarked.

Durrani will be heading a committee on the schemes. It will decide in a week which ones are to be made a priority. Forty-five development schemes for health, education, social sectors, flyovers and roads have been approved for this year. China has offered to help with several of them.

Shah discussed the appointment of teachers to CDGK schools, saying that merit would be applied, with the help of a reputed institution and the government would not interfere. “The World Bank has requested that the appointment process be transparent and so it shall be,” said Shah.

He directed the administrator and the DCO to pay attention to health services and bring up enrolment at city government schools. Shah wants two hospitals to be established by the CDGK in Gadap and Bin Qasim towns and a health centre at Sohrab Goth.

The DCO commented on the budget. Total earnings or revenue is expected to be Rs44.5 billion and spending is expected to be Rs70.6 billion this year.

This includes Rs2,4725.6 million for the CDGK and Rs9,058.15 million for the water board.

Shah told the DCO that the full funding of mega projects will be borne by the provincial government.

The meeting was attended by Durrani, adviser Kaisar Bengali, Chief Secretary Raja Muhammad Abbas, the additional chief secretary for planning and development, Muhammad Ishaque Lashari.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2011.