Larkana projects’ funds come under scrutiny

SHC tells govt to submit list of all projects executed in last eight years

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed on Thursday the provincial advocate-general to submit records of funds issued by the provincial government for development projects launched in Larkana district and details of the projects executed in the last eight years.

Headed by SHC chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah, the two-judge bench was hearing a petition relating to the alleged misappropriation of development funds for the city considered a stronghold of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party.



The petition was filed by a Larkana resident, Bashir Ahmed, who had moved the SHC over alleged embezzlement of funds allocated for the uplift works in Larkana. He had named PPP women’s wing chief MNA Faryal Talpur, who is also a sister of PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, former town Nazim Dr Shafqat Hussain Soomro, former law minister Ayaz Soomro, the then district coordination officer, deputy commissioner, project director of the Larkana development project and others as respondents.

After the 2008 elections, Rs12 billions funds had been allocated for the development and beautification of Larkana city besides other development schemes, said the petitioner. He alleged that roads and other development works were made without any proper planning while substandard material was used.

The petitioner had pointed out that most of the reconstructed roads were destroyed in the rains while several others had developed cracks. None of the roads were improved or widened, he added.

Ahmed maintained that the people of Larkana were facing hardships in the form of traffic jams, dusty and polluted air, stagnant sewage water on roads and frequent accidents. He argued that internal drains and roads had been made with substandard material and a major portion of the grant had been usurped.

He pleaded the court order the constitution of a committee based on honest town planners and other technical persons to probe into the misappropriation, ill-planning and embezzlement of public money of Larkana development project.

On Thursday, Advocate Farooq H Naek moved an application on behalf of PPP MNA Faryal Talpur, who requested to be pleaded as party in the proceedings on the grounds that the case was harming her political reputation.

The bench observed, however, that Talpur had already been impleaded as a respondent, therefore, dismissed her application to become party in the case.

Filing a reply on behalf of the Sindh government, the provincial law officer informed that an amount of Rs31 billion had been released for Larkana during the last eight years. Of them, Rs23 billion were spent on different projects in Larkana, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2017.