Centre diverting funds to Punjab, Sindh: Baloch MPAs

Province disproportionately affected by cuts to development spending, say members.

QUETTA:

Members of the Balochistan Assembly on Tuesday accused the central government of diverting funds meant for infrastructure projects in their province under the Public Sector Development Programme to Punjab and Sindh.

Lawmakers from the ruling party and its coalition partners were united in criticising the federal government and bureaucracy for the non-completion of development projects. They decided to form a joint strategy to get Islamabad to release funding for major schemes in Balochistan.

The federal government has had to freeze much of its development spending because of financial constraints, but the Balochistan members feel that their province has been disproportionately affected.

Minister for Agriculture Asad Baloch raised the issue on a point of order, citing various highway projects, and the Gwadar deep sea port, as examples of works that were at a standstill. “Islamabad had made cuts in the Federal PSDP and diverted the funds for the development projects of Punjab and Sindh,” he said.

Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, Habibur Rehman Hassani, Maulvi Sarwar, Ehsan Shah, Shahnawaz Marri, Jaffar Mandokhel and Nasrin Khetran complained that Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani’s meetings with the president and prime minister in Islamabad had not improved matters. “Highways have been under construction for the past 10 years,” one lawmaker said.

They supported the chief minister’s decision to decline a briefing from the National Highways Authority (NHA) on ongoing projects. “It seems that the highways, power transmission lines and education and health projects will take five decades to complete,” Shah said. He said the government should have withdrawn some projects instead of stopping funding for all projects.

The lawmakers proposed that the assembly pass a resolution, but Speaker Aslam Bhootani pointed out that the many resolutions previously passed by the assembly had had no effect. “The lawmakers should form a joint strategy outside of the house under the supervision of the chief minister to ask Islamabad to ensure the early implementation of all ongoing projects,” he said.

Sports Minister Shahnwaz Marri accused the federal government of breaking all its promises during the last three years. “They promised us the Aghaz-i-Huqooq-i-Balochistan Package and establishment of two universities and medical colleges, but have taken no practical step in this regard,” he said.

Shah said that the province faced a massive power crisis in Makran Division, which consists of Gwadar, Panjgur and Kech districts. He said the division was getting 35 MW of its 50 MW demand from Iran, but the power supply agreement was about to end so the government should renew it.

The speaker said that the Iranian consul general had told him personally that Iran was ready to provide more electricity to Makran Division. “I do not know why WAPDA is not responding to the offer,” he said.

The session was adjourned to meet again on Friday.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2011.