CM asks federal govt to give 50% of funds for projects immediately

Shah says funds for Green Line, K-4 water projects, Qazi Ahmed-Aamri Bridge have yet to be released

KARACHI: The chief minister of Sindh, Qaim Ali Shah, has asked the federal government to provide the Sindh government with funds it had promised so that they can start working on the Green Bus Line corridor in Karachi.

He has also asked the Centre to bear the extra cost of Rs3.6 billion for the extension of Qazi Ahmed-Aamri Bridge on the Indus River, which was carried out on the directives of President Mamnoon Hussain. While presiding over a meeting on the development projects in Sindh, Shah said he wanted the federal government to release at least Rs6 billion to start work on the K-4 water project in Karachi.

The meeting, which took place at his office, was attended by Sindh finance minister Murad Ali Shah, planning and development additional chief secretary Muhammad Wasim, secretary to the chief minister Allumdin Bullo and others.

Shah claimed that during his visit to Karachi, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had announced that the federal government will bear all costs of the Green Line project, which had been conceived and planned by the Sindh government. He added that so far, all necessary arrangements had been made and they were waiting for the Centre to release the funds.

While discussing the revised scheme for the Qazi Ahmed-Aamri Bridge which was extended on orders from President Hussain, Shah said that the federal government had not released Rs3.6 billion for that either.

He claimed that funds for the K-4 water project - nearly Rs25 billion, out of which the federal government was giving 50 per cent had not been released. He asked the federal government to release at least Rs 6 billion (50 per cent) of its due share without any delay.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2014.