Federal government doesn’t care about Sindh: CM Murad

Calls for Centre to complete the projects it had started and allocate more water for Karachi

KARACHI: The Sindh government warned on Friday to stage protests in the provincial assembly if the if the federal government did not include Sindh's schemes in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

Chairing a meeting at the Chief Minister House, CM Syed Murad Ali Shah lamented that the federal government wasn't interested in development of Sindh. "This is why almost all the federally-funded projects in the province have either been abandoned or put on the back burner," he said. "In this state of affairs, Sindh is left with no choice but to raise its voice at the appropriate forums in the first phase and then the options are open to stage protests in the assemblies," he added.

The meeting was attended by ECNEC member Nisar Khuhro, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, P&D Chairman Mohammad Waseem, Special Assistant to CM on Irrigation Ashfaq Memon, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Special Secretary for Agriculture Shakeel Shaikh, Special Secretary for Irrigation Aslam Ansari and other officials.



Sukkur Barrage

The meeting was convened to review the progress of Nai Gaj Dam, Darawat Dam and the rehabilitation of Sukkur Barrage. In his opening remarks, the chief minister said that the federal government had removed the important project of Sukkur Barrage Rehabilitation and Modernisation from the PSDP and surrendered its Rs100 million to the Ministry of Planning and Reforms, which was an injustice to the people of Sindh.

"Sukkur Barrage is the lifeline of our agro-economy and the provincial government had got this project approved from the federal government after hectic efforts," he lamented. On this, the P&D Chairman Mohammad Waseem told the chief minister that he had conveyed their annoyance to the federal government, which had now they have sent a letter for re-adjustment of the Sukkur Barrage scheme. "A meager amount of Rs1,000 has now been allocated by the federal government, giving the message that this project has not been shelved and that funds would be earmarked for it in the next budget," said another official, who was present in the meeting.

Nai Gaj Dam

Shah then took up the matter of another scheme, the Nai Gaj Dam. Launched by the federal government in 2009 at an estimated cost of Rs16.9 billion, it aimed to conserve water resources for agriculture, protect from flood waters and to generate electricity. The dam was would stop flood water flowing through the Nai Gaj Hill torrent, so that 22,962 hectares of land could be irrigated.

The CM said that in 2009, the total cost of the project was estimated at Rs16.924 billion, out which the provincial government would spend Rs1.56 billion. The scheme was revised in 2012, bringing its cost to Rs26.23 billion, in which the provincial government's share was fixed at Rs1.89 billion. A second revision was made in January 2019, this time the cost climbing to Rs41.79 billion. Now, the federal government is asking Sindh to contribute Rs22b, said the CM. "This is not possible for us. The federal government must complete the projects it has launched in Sindh," said Shah.

The CM urged Nisar Khuhro, who is the Executive Committee of National Economic Council's (ECNEC) member from Sindh, to discuss the issue in the body's next meeting to be held in Islamabad on January 23. "Our stance is very clear and must be conveyed to them frankly," he said.

The Nai Gaj project is located in District Jamshoro. Water flows from the hills and drains out in Manchhar Lake, after flowing through the arid zone of Kachho area.



Darawat Dam

The Darawat Dam project was to be constructed across the Nai Baran River near Jhangri village of Taluka Thano Bolakhan in District Jamshoro. The federal government had launched this project at an estimated cost Rs3.17b in 2010 to store 150 million cubic metres of water to irrigate 10,000 hectares of land. It was supposed to be completed in August 2014.

According to Shah, a revised cost estimate of the project stood at Rs11.7 billion, but the project is yet to be completed. "This slow pace of work shows that the federal government is not serious about its projects in Sindh," he said.

The chief minister said that the other slow-moving projects were RBOD-I & II and Rainee Canal. He added that the federal government should allocate 1,200 cusecs (650 mgd) additional water for Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2019.