Cantt boards await budgets approval

A sum of over Rs6b provisionally approved for FY 2022-23

RAWALPINDI:

Separate budgets amounting to more than Rs6 billion approved by the Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonments for the fiscal year 2022-23 are yet to be approved by Director Military Lands and Cantonments (MLC) despite the passage of over a month.

With final approval for the respective budgets yet to be received, work on ongoing development projects has stalled and initiation of new projects is also on hold.

It has been learnt that Rs4 billion for Rawalpindi Cantonment Board and over Rs2.5 billion for Chaklala Cantonment Board had been provisionally approved in separate meetings of both boards, which were presided over by the president of both boards Brigadier Salman Nazar.

Rs300 million had been allocated in the budget of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board for developmental works, while Rs250 million is the provisional developmental budget of Chaklala Cantonment Board.

Collectively, Rs1.3 billion was earmarked by both boards for the completion of projects that are in progress.

However, while the overall respective budgets were approved in the June board meetings and forwarded to Director MLC for final approval, the boards are yet to receive the green signal regarding their budgets.

Both cantonment boards are making use of the budget allocated for salaries and non-developmental works, but further progress of developmental projects will grain traction once formal approval for the specific budget is given.

Conversely, the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board is facing a shortfall of over Rs110 million in their target for revenue recovery until June 30, 2022, while sources said both boards failed to achieve their target for revenue recovery.

The sources further said that this failure to achieve their respective targets may become basis for the competent authority to make budget cuts before giving the final approval.

Water supply suspended

Water supply was cut off at three locations of Rawalpindi Cantonment when an 8-inch line of the water supply network of Cantonment Board was uprooted during the ongoing construction work on the IJP Road, with the board claiming that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has violated its No-Objection Certificate (NOC).

As per the reports, the NOC was issued to CDA for the ongoing construction work on IJP Road, which stated that the Cantonment Board water supply network has been connected with the 8-inch line of the main water supply on the IJP Road Rawalpindi side. Therefore, precautionary measures should be ensured to prevent the water supply from being damaged.

However, the board’s 8-inch water supply line was uprooted due to excavation near the railway bridge on IJP Road on Saturday. As a result, water supply has been suspended in Chak Madad Khan, Shahzad Colony, and Habib Colony of Rawalpindi Cantonment.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2022.