Lagging development
Taxpayers contribute a portion of their hard-earned income each year with the expectation that their money will be used to improve public welfare. Yet in Sindh, the word 'development' has become little more than a catchphrase - repeated in budget speeches and project announcements, but rarely reflected in real outcomes. With less than two months left in the financial year, the provincial government has suddenly sprung into action, issuing a barrage of tenders for new projects that cannot be executed within the ongoing fiscal year.
In the first week of May alone, the Highways Division floated tenders for over 200 projects, including the construction of 125 roads in Umarkot and the installation of 77 CC drains in Larkana. It is common knowledge that even after a tender is issued, awarding contracts and mobilising resources take time. Realistically, work on these projects will only begin after the current fiscal year ends, on June 30. Expenditure statistics also reveal a pattern. While 88% of the Rs1,925 billion allocated for non-development expenditures had already been spent by early May, only 69% of the Rs959 billion earmarked for development was utilised. This means non-development spending takes priority, while actual progress on ground-level infrastructure and services remains sluggish - a deliberate strategy to create the illusion of action while sidestepping accountability. Instead of including ready-to-execute projects in the annual budget - those with approved PC-1s and cleared formalities - departments continue to propose schemes that are nowhere near implementation. As a result, the first three quarters of the year are spent navigating bureaucratic red tape, and the last quarter is wasted in rushed, last-minute tendering.
If the Sindh government is serious about development, it must commit to better planning. Budgets should only include projects that are implementation-ready. Otherwise, this yearly charade of late tenders will continue to betray public trust and deepen the crisis of governance.