CM Sindh wants completion of current schemes to be part of next ADP

Utilisation of allocated funds low due to financial crunch and lack of confidence in officers, says Murad

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired two meetings on Tuesday, one with the finance department and planning and development (P&D) department and the other with irrigation and works departments to work out a strategy for the next development budget.

The CM said that the province was in a precarious financial position due to the decline in federal revenue transfers which had badly affected the Sindh government's development portfolio. He added that for the next financial year, the focus would be on the completion of on-going schemes. "We may hardly include new schemes and focus would be on the completion of on-going development works," he said.

Shah directed the P&D department to conduct a survey to assess and evaluate the impact of the development of road network and bridges on Indus River and of hospitals on the life of the people. "We must know what we have done and what we have to do for the convenience of the people of Sindh," he said.

In the outgoing financial year, Shah said that the provincial Annual Development Programme (ADP) was Rs230 billion against which expenditures, up to end of April 2019, have been recorded at Rs72.88b. The utilisation of these funds would increase by Rs130b to Rs140b by end of June. He added that the road networks had been allocated Rs56.6 billion against which they have utilised Rs27.8 billion.

Similarly, the irrigation sector has utilised Rs17.8b against their allocated amount of Rs35.8 billion. He added that road and irrigation sectors have utilised Rs45.66b which formed 64% of their total expenditures.

The CM also pointed out that water and sanitation had been allocated Rs42.5b of which, only Rs6.5b have been utilised.

The health department utilised Rs4.3b against an allocation of Rs15.8b and education sector utilised Rs5.9b against an allocation of Rs15.8b. He added that declining trend of utilisation of development funds was attributed to two different reasons.

The first was that the government had released less amount of money due to the financial crunch and the other was the reluctance of the officers. "We have tried our best to create confidence among the officers so that they can utilise the available funds," he said.

Works Minister Syed Nasir Shah said that 326 road sector schemes worth Rs25.8 billion were launched against which Rs21.4 were released and the expenditures were Rs16.8 billion.

He said that out of 109 schemes, 70 would be completed in Hyderabad and Sukkur regions. He requested that the next ADP of works and services department may be increased by 40%. The CM reacted that this was not possible, "I will try to increase the allocation in the next to some extent, otherwise funds would be allocated only for the completion of on-going schemes," he said.



P&D chairperson said that the second draft of the next ADP had been received and would be studied. They would finalise the allocation of funds with the approval of the CM.

The irrigation department proposed the construction of long canal embankments and dock bungalows in Landhi but the CM said that they would be approved if the government's financial position improved.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2019.