Reviewing progress: CM orders inquiry into substandard construction of Gharo Shrimp Farm

Additional chief secretary says he had inspected the centre and found the work to be of substandard quality

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, reviewing the progress of on-going development schemes worth Rs106 billion, directed the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) to conduct an inquiry into the substandard construction of Gharo Shrimp Farm on Tuesday.

He issued these directives while presiding over a review meeting of development schemes going on all over Sindh at the CM House. The meeting was attended by senior minister for finance and planning and development (P&D), Syed Murad Ali Shah, chief secretary Siddique Memon, additional chief secretary (development) Aijaz Ali Khan, principal secretary to CM, Alamuddin Bullo, finance secretary Sohail Rajput, P&D director-general Imtiaz Shah and other officers.

Khan said that he had inspected the Gharo Shrimp Farm, constructed at a cost of Rs261.79 million, and found the work to be of sub-standard quality. The works and services department has compromised the quality and now, the works and services department has approached for the revision of the scheme from Rs261.79 million to Rs878 million, he said.



The chief minister expressed displeasure and said that he will never compromise on quality. "This is serious and I will not allow corruption in development schemes," he said, directing the chief secretary to send this case to the ACE for urgent inquiry.

The chief minister also directed the chief secretary to issue necessary instructions on his behalf to the ACE chairperson for conducting a thorough inquiry in minimum time. The chief secretary told the chief minister that, on his instructions, he had already sent 97 cases of substandard works of development schemes to the ACE. "ACE chairman Mumtaz Shah is personally monitoring those inquiries and will give us a detailed report next week," he said.

Briefing the chief minister on the development schemes, Khan said that the finance department has released Rs43 billion to complete the 2,671 development schemes. "Around 577 development schemes are likely to be completed by the end of June, 2016," he said.



The chief minister said that he will review the progress of each and every scheme from next week. "I will hold review meetings of each and every department at the new Sindh Secretariat next week," he said, adding that he will take strict action if poor utilisation of funds or performance is found.

The chief minister also directed the P&D department to start inspection of all the development schemes being carried out all over the province and report to him if work is found to be of substandard quality.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2015.