Participatory development: Community board projects may get funds by 25th

400 bio-gas plants, 11 other development projects will be delayed if funding ban is not lifted.

GUJRANWALA:

The Gujranwala district administration is hoping that the provincial government will lift a ban on release of funds for projects identified by the citizens’ community boards (CCB) by May 25.

District coordination officer’s public relations officer Hafiz Waheed told The Express Tribune that the administration had held a meeting with the provincial secretaries to discuss the issue on Monday. He said the issue was on top of the agenda for another meeting scheduled for Tuesday (today) as well.

The PRO said they were told that funds for CCB projects might be approved along with the finalisation of revisions in the current year’s allocations and proposals for the next year by May 25. “We have urged the provincial government to release these funds as soon as possible,” he said.

The projects delayed due to the ban include construction of 400 bio-gas plants to provide piped gas to villages that do not have the Sui Gas facility.

CCB (Bio-gas plants) chairman Mian Attaur Rahman told The Tribune funds had yet to be released for the second instalments for the 100 plants that were under construction in the district.

He said he had discussed the issue with the DCO during the inauguration of a plant in Benka Cheema village in Gakkhar on Friday. “He assured us that construction of these plants will not be halted.

He said funds set aside for a private hospital will be diverted to bio-gas plants if there is a shortage,” he said.

Other projects identified by the CCBs that have yet to be started are:

Installation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes from Baba Gulab Shah Darbar to Darbar Pir Raath in Rasoolnagar; construction of a sewer and a park near Super Asia factory; provision of an ambulance for Sundas Foundation; purchase of new furniture for Government School Attawa on GT Road; construction of a sewer from Rukh Kalan village to the main road in Rasoolnagar; provision of an ambulance for a basic health unit in Tatley Aali and two projects in Naushera Virkan.

These projects were approved by the district administration on April 5, 2012.

As much as Rs410 million had been allocated for CCB projects in the current year’s budget of the district. Work on Rs96 million projects was completed this year.

In Nandipur Town, work on Rs2 million projects has been completed. The allocation was for Rs25 million.

All CCB projects in Khayali, Aroop and Qila Didar Singh towns have been completed.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2012.