Additional funds allocated for over-budget project of house for NA speaker . PHOTO: EXPRESS
This would be part of the Rs2.517 billion earmarked for development in the capital during the upcoming fiscal year.
CDA budget
Under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), the federal government has allocated Rs599.822 million for the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
Of this, the government has allocated Rs549.822 million for ongoing projects.
To build and upgrade a mosque at the Pak-Secretariat, the government has set aside Rs200 million. The project had been approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in November 2016 and was estimated to cost Rs439.680 million. Till the end of the current fiscal year, Rs83.438 million are expected to be spent on the project while Rs356.242 million would be carried forward from allocations in the previous fiscal year.
Similarly, Rs300 million have been earmarked for construction of additional family suites for members of parliament along with 500 servant quarters in Sector G-5/2. The project had been approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) in 2010 and was estimated to cost Rs2.908 billion. Till the end of the current fiscal year, Rs1.314 billion are expected to have been spent on the project while Rs1.593 billion would be carried forward to the new fiscal year.
The federal government also set aside Rs30.892 million to construct the official residence of the Speaker of the National Assembly. The project was approved by the CDWP in April 2006 and was estimated to cost Rs77.420 million. However, until the new fiscal year in July, Rs81.198 are expected to have been spent on it - Rs3.778 million over the original estimate.
The government has also allocated Rs18.930 million for boosting security at the Parliament House. The project had been approved by CDWP in 2008 and was estimated to cost of Rs98.133 million. Till the end of the outgoing fiscal year, Rs79.203 million have been spent on it while Rs18.930 million would be carried forward in the new fiscal year.
The government only approved one new scheme for CDA in FY 2017-18. An allocation of Rs50 million has been made for constructing a boundary wall for the official residence of the Senate chairman. The project has yet to be approved by the CDWP.
Rs1.919 billion for ICTA
The government has earmarked Rs1.918 billion for eight ongoing and two new development schemes for the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA), which manages affairs of the rural parts of the capital.
The government apportioned Rs15 million for a new scheme for the conservation and development of rainwater resources in ICT. The project was approved by Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) in September 2015 and was estimated to cost around Rs57.237 million.
Moreover, the government has spared Rs25 million for promoting solar powered water pumping systems for irrigation within ICT. The project was approved by DDWP in April 2015 and is estimated to cost Rs58.340 million.
For the ongoing schemes in the capital, the government has allocated Rs1.873 billion.
These include Rs39.916 million for building 15 houses (category-II) for superintendents of police in the Police Lines Headquarters in Sector H-11.
Moreover, Rs427.294 million have been fixed for building accommodation, training and administrative blocks for the new rapid response force of the Islamabad Police. Moreover, Rs39.581 million have been set aside for the construction of an auditorium at the National Police Academy in Sector H-11.
Further, Rs24.368 million have been set for building basic health units (BHUs) with staff accommodation at Kirpa. The government has set aside Rs50 million for the construction of a judicial and administration complex in Mauve Area in Sector G-11/4.
Similarly, Rs800million have been earmarked for the construction of a model prison in Sector H-16 as well as Rs440 million for the Islamabad General Hospital at Tarlai and Rs52.820 million for a land records management system in rural areas of ICT.
IMC misses budget
The Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) did not get a slice of development or non-development grants in the fiscal budget for 2017-18.
The IMC had demanded Rs12 billion with 15 per cent additional lump sum amount of previous year’s financial assistance promised by the federal government to support the local government to meet its non-development expenditures.
“The federal government had approved Rs2.7 billion for IMC in fiscal 2016-17 of which it released only Rs1.6 billion, which was barely enough to pay salaries of staff for five months only,” an IMC official told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity.
The ministry of finance did not consider the IMC‘s demands of Rs12 billion as the non-development budget for the financial year 2017-18. The IMC source said that the local government had submitted development proposals worth Rs10 billion for budgetary allocations but it could not attract the finance ministry’s attention due to shortcomings in the proposed projects.
The IMC, which had been formed following elections in November 2015, had been promised Rs10 billion as non-development funds by the federal government in the budget for 2016-17. The IMC barely saw any of the money for development projects.
After much protest, local government representatives managed to convince the finance ministry to release Rs2.7 billion for non-development expenditure.
In the absence of any regular budget, the IMC has been taking loans from CDA, due to which both civic bodies are facing financial problems.
“Currently the IMC accounts have only Rs180 million which had been collected in the form of fees under different heads,” a CDA finance wing official told The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 27th, 2017.
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