As the third term of Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) 15-year governance in Sindh draws to close, the province continues grappling with numerous unfinished projects that the party promised in successive budgets but has yet to see completion or significant progress.
Unfortunately, this situation persists across various projects in Sindh during the first nine months of the current fiscal year.
Among these projects, the Karachi Circular Railway is a notable example, having been announced on seven separate occasions but still needing to be completed.
The ambitious Benazir Accident and Trauma Center in Razzaqabad, Karachi, designed to accommodate 1000 beds, remains unfinished. Additionally, the Bilawal Bhutto Engineering College Scheme in Lyari has been confined to paperwork without any tangible advancement.
The K-4 and S-3 mega projects, crucial for water supply and drainage, have yet to make much headway. K-4 the largest water supply scheme in Karachi, with an allocation of Rs1.2475 billion, has yet to see any expenditure in the current year.
Similarly, the promise of transforming Garhi Khuda Baksh into a model town remains a dream. Regrettably, the Sindh government has not effectively utilised the development budget, with only 31% of the allocated funds spent within nine months of fiscal 2002-23.
As a result, several major projects aimed at benefiting the people of Sindh have yet to begin.
Out of the allocated Rs6,586 million for the development of Karachi, only Rs4,272 million have been utilised. By the end of the third quarter of financial year 2022-23, Rs108 billion had been disbursed from the total budget of Rs276 billion.
The Department of Agriculture's development funds saw 61% utilisation, while the irrigation department's schemes received 74% of their allocated funds.
Additionally, the construction of the leading project on Shahrah Noorjahan, the Noorjahan Highway, estimated to be concluded by June 2023, still needs to be completed with only Rs750 million spent out of the total cost of Rs1,303 million. The Johar Chowrangi underpass, slated for completion within the current fiscal year, also needs to be completed.
The Sindh Local Government Department received a budget of Rs1.1 billion for the uplift of Gujjar Nullah during the three quarters of 2022-23, has yet to spend a single rupee from the allocated sum.
The Allama Iqbal Park uplift project in Federal B Area received only Rs123 million out of the proposed cost of Rs250 million. Similarly, the Mehmoodabad Flyover scheme with an allocated budget of Rs270 million has yet to see any utilization of funds.
The Rural Development Department did not spend the Rs300 million released for buying solar lights.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2023.
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