‘Deletion of Sindh’s schemes a scheme against the people’

36 schemes have been deleted by federal govt from next fiscal year’s PSDP


Our Correspondent May 29, 2019
36 schemes have been deleted by federal govt from next fiscal year’s PSDP. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the federal government has deleted 36 schemes meant for Sindh from its next development programme, for the fiscal year 2019-20. Most of the schemes were foreign-aided projects, he lamented. "This is an injustice with the people of Sindh and this would further develop a sense of deprivation and isolation among the people of the province," he said.

The chief minister made these remarks while presiding over a meeting at the CM House on Tuesday, to prepare for the meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC). The NEC meeting is scheduled to be held in Islamabad today (Wednesday) and will be attended by the chief minister and Sindh's representative Nisar Ahmed Khuhro.

The chief minister said that the estimated cost of the entire PSDP portfolio, both the existing and new, was Rs8 trillion in which the cost of Sindh-based schemes came to Rs540 billion. "It means Sindh has been given only seven percent share in the PSDP," he said, terming it an injustice with the people of the province.

Speaking about the deleted schemes, Shah apprised that the 36 schemes had a price tag of Rs51 billion and were related to water, roads and other sectors.

Joint schemes

One such scheme was for the rehabilitation and modernisation of Sukkur Barrage. It is a World Bank funded project, for which 80 percent of the total amount was to be financed by World Bank, while the provincial and federal governments were to contribute 10% each.

Another scheme was for the construction of a new bridge with approach roads over the Indus River, between Sukkur and Rohri. The project was announced by then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his visit to Sukkur.

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The construction of an 88-kilometre Mirpurkhas-Umerkot section, Southern Bypass Hyderabad, rehabilitation of the existing 200km carriageway between Sehwan and Ratodero, the lining of KB Feeder Upper Canal for water supply to Karachi were also part of the schemes, whose cost was to be borne by the federal and provincial governments on a 50-50 basis.

Mismanagement

The chief minister said that the Jamshoro- Sehwan section road is a classic case of mismanagement. "The Sindh government has provided Rs7 billion to get this important road completed, but unfortunately, there is no progress on it," he said, adding that he would request the federal government to instruct the NHA to complete the project or return the provincial government's funds so that they could complete it from it on their own.

The decrease in FD portfolio

CM Shah also said that the federal government has drastically reduced the overall allocation of schemes reflected in the Finance Division portfolio, which were being executed by the provincial governments.

He said that the Sindh government's portfolio has been curtailed and many schemes, which were on-going and yet to be completed, have been deleted. "There are now only five on-going schemes with an estimated cost of Rs23.9 billion against which only Rs1.77 billion have been allocated for the financial year 2019-20," he lamented.

Mr Shah pointed out that the overall Finance Division's allocation for PSDP 2019-20 was Rs36.61 billion. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been given 75% of the funds, followed by Balochistan at 15%, Sindh only 4.85% and 4% for Punjab.

Sindh's schemes

According to the chief minister, funds for the S-III project were revised by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) from Rs7.982 billion to Rs36.117 on February 7, 2018. The cost of the project was original to be borne by the provincial and federal governments on a 50-50 basis, but the federal government did not agree to share 50 percent of the revised cost.

The total expenditure against the federal share until June 2018 is Rs3.129 billion. The federal government allocated the balance share of the original cost in the PSDP 2018-19 which came to Rs862 million but released only Rs344m. The remaining amount for the project has also been deleted from the new PDSP.

A scheme for the construction of roads in Hyderabad district was given the nod by the Central Development Working Party on March 18, 2010. The scheme has been completed through bridge financing by the Sindh government in 2011-12. An amount of Rs175.864 million is pending towards the federal government, but the Scheme has been deleted from PSDP 2019-20

Yet another scheme was launched for the lining of 109 selected channels spread over 860 miles at an approved cost of Rs13.828 billion. The scheme has incurred a cost of Rs8.069b by June 2018. There is a throw-forward of Rs5.032b but the scheme has been deleted from PSDP 2019-20.

The chief minister said that over Rs8 billion in liabilities have been left out against committed projects with implications on these schemes. He demanded the federal government to release the amount to the provincial government.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29th, 2019.

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