Rs125b for city projects

As much as Rs61 billion to fund ongoing schemes

KARACHI:

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Wednesday that the Sindh government had allocated Rs125 billion for development projects of Karachi in its budget for the year 2022-23.

Addressing a post budget briefing at the auditorium of the Sindh Assembly, the chief minister, who was flanked by his cabinet minister and finance department officials, revealed that that Rs 80.077 billion were allocated for 750 Karachi-specific schemes of which Rs60.686 billion are kept for ongoing schemes and Rs19.390 billion for fresh ones.

The CM continued that Rs5 billion had been allocated for the district ADP and Rs 40.715 billion for seven projects through foreign project assistance. These which include the Competitive and Livable City of Karachi Project (Click), Karachi Neighbourhood Improvement Project (KNIP), Karachi Water & Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP) Phase-I & Phase-IIfor Environmental, Social Safeguards and Design Studies, Solid Waste Emergency and Efficiency Program (SWEEP), construction of BRT Red Line Karachi and Karachi Urban Mobility Project - BRT Yellow Line.

Murad Ali Shah also counted around 32 mega projects, including a safe city for Rs5 billion. The pilot part would be completed in 2022, while there was also the dual carriageway from Manghopir Road to Shahrah-e-Qaddafi. In addition, the Karachi fish harbour would be renovated for Rs1.6 billion for which Rs309.6 million has been allocated,while storm water drains would be rehabilitated in a second phase-II for Rs1 billion.

Replying to a question, the chief minister said that a 40 percent POL quota of the government officers has been curtailed, keeping in view the 40 percent increase in POL prices.

Read Sindh govt to present Rs1.6tr budget today

"The POL allowance of the officers is the same in terms of money, but the commodity price has increased by 40 percent, which means that they [officers] would be able to purchase 40 percent less POL from their allowance," he elaborated.

Therefore, according to the CM, the non-development expenditures would not be more than 60 percent of the total budget.

Also, the chief minister announced Gambat, a small town of Khairpur district, as a medical city. "A new term of medical tourism has been coined for the cities where people would go for their medical treatment," he said.

The CM stressed added Gambat would provide all kinds of medical facilities by establishing a healthcare related institution.

Talking about the health sector, the CM said that Rs219.787 billion have been allocated for it and this included a Rs196.453 billion non-development and Rs23.334 billion development budget.

He added that single line grants amounting to Rs66.151 billion, would be given to different institutes, trusts and NGOS. PPHI is to get Rs11481 bn (an increase of 40% compared to 2021-22), NICVD Rs12.539 billion, SIUT Rs10 bn (40% increase), GIMS Rs6 billion (50% increase), JPMC Rs.594 million for installation of robotic surgical system, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto (SMBB) Institute of Trauma, Karachi Rs2.4 billion (20% increase), EPI vaccination Rs3.5 billion (75% increase), Institute of Infectious Disease NIPA Rs1.09 billion, Free treatment of Thalassemia patients Rs290 million (12% increase), Four Children health care institutions Rs1.7 bn, CMC Larkana for 50-bedded medical and surgical, Rs1 billion for plants and machinery for existing health facilities, Rs1 billion for PCR kits.

Energy sector

The chief minister said that currently, 660 MW of coal-based energy was being produced from Thar Block-II and by the end of next year, 2000 MW coal-fired power would be generated. "Thar has the capacity to meet not only the total energy requirement of the country, but can export its additional production to earn the foreign exchange," he said and emphasised on how to tap its maximum potential.

Murad Ali Shah said that he has laid the foundation stone of Rs35 billion Nabisar-Vajihar water infrastructure project. "This project has been launched under public private partnership with a Kuwait-state company," he said.

He continued that the transition has won two awards- `Best innovative Islamic Transition and Best Islamic Transition Financing in Pakistan'. He said that his government was planning to convene an investment conference in Kuwait.

The CM stated that the energy sector had been given Rs32.92 billion, including Rs2.55 billion development and Rs30.37 billion for non-development. He added that the energy portfolio was increased by Rs6.992 billion for FY 2022-23.

Electricity Monitoring &
Reconciliation cell

Karachi has been allocated Rs1 billion, Rs100 million for Sindh Coal Authority and Rs22.470 million for the Directorate of Alternative Energy sources, such as sunlight (solar) wind, waste, biomass and water etc.

According to the CM, RS15.5 million has been allocated for the survey for domestic biogas, Rs75 million for supply gas to Gadap Town, as well as Rs250 million for seven schemes of solarisation of schools in Kashmore, Kandhkot, Dadu, Shikarpur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana, Tharparkar and Sanghar districts.

At the same time, Rs50 million was set aside for the electrification of primary health facilities through solar PV in Hyderabad and Tando Mohammad Khan districts, while Rs100 million was earmarked for the installation of solar system tubewells upto two cusecs.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2022.