‘97 schemes to be completed next year’

Minister orders transparency in tender process and delay avoidance

KARACHI: A total of 97 developmental schemes are planned for completion in the upcoming fiscal year, local government secretary Roshan Ali Shaikh briefed Sindh Information and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah on Wednesday.

Shah was presiding over a review meeting of the Annual Development Programme of the local government department on Wednesday, where he was further apprised that of these projects, 25 were related to water and sewerage, while 63 were related to road infrastructure.

Moreover, apart from these development schemes, Shaikh informed that six mega schemes were also a part of the 2020-2021 development plan, adding that three of them had already been completed.

Shah directed the relevant officials to ensure the process of opening and awarding of tenders was transparent, adding that there should not be any undue delay or legal complexities in the process.

Further, he instructed them to complete all projects on time, saying that any unjust deferral or corruption would not be tolerated.

Meanwhile, speaking about the pandemic, the minister stated that the Sindh government would abide by the decisions of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) and would not allow the educational institutes, marriage halls, gyms, sports clubs, and other sectors to operate as per the recommendations of the NCC.

Pointing out that the novel coronavirus was spreading rapidly in the country and the situation was worsening on a daily basis, he reiterated that until there was a vaccine available for Covid-19, people would have to live with this virus. "People are not ready to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and the health advisory, which is causing the problem."

He claimed that the Sindh government's approach had been adopted across the country for some time but people had arrived in Pakistan from abroad without proper screening, which became a source for the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

"It was a tough decision for the Sindh government to deploy a lockdown in the province and we faced a lot of criticism, but we tolerated it because we prioritised people's life," he added.

He mentioned that the Sindh government had allowed inter-city transport in the province with the condition of following the defined SOPs.

He urged people to comply the advisories so that they could save themselves and their loved ones from this insidious disease.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2020.