PSDP spending: Centre faulted for selective development

Senate panel sees gap in allocation and cost of projects in Fata, Balochistan

ISLAMABAD:

Senators in a parliamentary committee meeting criticised the federal government for meagre allocation of uplift funds for underdeveloped areas.

Heated arguments and serious concerns were expressed in the Senate’s Functional Committee on Less Developed Areas on Monday where government was blamed for selective approach towards development of those areas.

When Planning and Development (PD) Division’s Additional Secretary Zafar Hassan started his presentation about the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) funds 2015-16 for the less developed areas, the committee’s chairman Usman Khan Kakar snubbed him about the difference between allocation and total cost of several projects in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and Balochistan.

Hassan stated that for the on-going PSDP the government had placed Rs4,639 million for 263 projects in Fata and Balochistan. About the difference in allocation and cost of projects, Ministry of Finance Secretary Waqar Masood told the members that centre’s focus was on infrastructure development, water and energy, while provinces also have share in pool of funds for such works.



Allocation of funds

PML-N Senator Nisar Muhammad objected to the criteria of PSDP funds. “The PD division keeps the money with itself and uses it as per its prerogative, why is this so,” he asked. The senator from Peshawar added that total PSDP budget of 22 districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was less than one particular district where huge chunk of development fund was being spent. Without naming it, he said around Rs1.5 billion was spent in a constituency while about Rs20 million went to 10 other constituencies. He asked the officers to share details of Rs27 billion spent against unapproved projects of 2014.

Balochistan

“The allocation for 100 small and medium-sized dams in Balochistan is so meagre that it will take around 500 years to complete the construction,” Kakar said seeking an explanation from the PD officials regarding the paltry funds for water schemes in the parched Balochistan province.

Senator Jamaldini saida water bowser in Gwadar costs Rs11,000 and that water was being brought from 11km away.

The chairperson directed the PD officials to approve Muslim Bagh Information Technology University and Sibi University.

South Punjab

PPP Senator Khalida Parveen, who hails from the Kot Addu town of south Punjab, said there was a disparity in the development spending in upper and lower stretches of the province. She questioned why all the development has remained focussed in northern Punjab.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2016.