Sindh not getting its fair share in budget: Murad

KARACHI:

Minister Murad Ali Shah on Saturday expressed his reservations over the next budget, maintaining that ever since the PTI-led government had come to power, it had been “biased” towards the province.

In a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, the provincial chief executive complained that Sindh's projects were ignored in the Centre's Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

He added that the federal government wanted to interfere in the affairs of the province through the Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Limited, “similar to how the British ruled India through the East India Company”.

The Sindh chief minister lamented the Centre's “continuous” injustice towards the people of the province.

He regretted that Sindh's reservations were constantly being ignored.

Murad pointed out that Punjab had been given 22 schemes of the National Highway Authority (NHA) gainst two allocated for Sindh.

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“Most of the schemes related to roads and the provision and disposal of water suggested by the Sindh government have been rejected,” the chief minister wrote.

The Sindh CM regretted that the federal government had “ignored” the province in terms of federal development schemes as well.

He added that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had been given more federal development schemes than Sindh.
He pointed out that the federal government had released 50% of the funds for Sehwan-Jamshoro Highway in 2017.

“The NHA has still not completed the project despite the passage of four years,” he noted.

“The federal government will be responsible for the loss of lives in accidents on the road.”

Murad demanded that PM Imran should review the PSDP for the next fiscal year and give Sindh its fair share.

The Sindh CM expressed his concern that the water project in Karachi, K-IV, would not be completed in time.

He pointed out that the finance ministry had reserved Rs86 trillion for uplift schemes in Punjab against just Rs4 trillion for those in Sindh.

Murad complained that billions of rupees had been doled out for road schemes in Punjab, but no such projects had been given the nod for Sindh.

“Without consulting the Sindh government, the Centre has kicked off substandard work on projects in the province at the Union Council level,” he maintained.

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Murad pointed out that 27 schemes of Sindh were included in the budget for the year 2017 against six in 2021-22.

The Sindh CM further claimed that the federal government had violated Article 156 of the Constitution by not calling a meetung of the National Economic Council.

The federal government has reserved Rs31.19 billion for an IT park in Karachi and Rs27.16 billion for a five-year educational scheme in 12 districts of the province.

A day earlier, the premier assured a delegation of the MQM, led by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, that funds would be allocated for Karachi and Hyderabad in the upcoming budget.

“Karachi is the economic hub of the country and cannot be ignored,” the premier told the MQM delegation.

The MQM leaders informed PM Imran about the development requirements of Sindh, particularly those of Karachi and Hyderabad.

They presented their suggestions to the premier for the budget and assured him of their support for its passage by parliament.