4-year assessment: Sindh’s development has been unprecedented, says CM

Despite flooding, farm output has gone up.

HYDERABAD: The development of the past four years has been unprecedented compared to that which took place from 1997 to 2008, declared Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah on Sunday.

Shah presented a roundup of the government’s performance during the past four years, defending what he described as the accomplishments of the democratic government.

His press conference on Sunday was called after a meeting to review preparations for the death anniversary commemorations of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party, on April 4.

Shah said the province’s development budget was a meagre Rs20 billion to Rs25 billion when they assumed power. “We increased it to the current Rs130 billion in four years,” he added.

Shah claimed that the government’s agriculture policy has increased crop production despite two consecutive years of flooding. “Sugarcane production increased 60%, wheat by 31% and rice by 45%.”

The chief minister announced that the wing energy corridor in the province will start making a contribution of around 2,000 megawatts of energy from December as several 50 megawatt plants are nearly ready.

He mentioned the construction of 5,000 schools, 30 colleges and 11 hospitals in addition to the 2,000 kilometres of roads, several water supply schemes and the installation of 140 reverse osmosis plants to corroborate his claims of development.

Shah saw cynicism in the people who do not acknowledge their work. “Despite such an achievement democracy is being criticised.” The chief minister avoided answering a question on the resurgence of violence and target killings in Karachi, saying that he would present comparative statistics about violence, in the Sindh Assembly soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2012.