KARACHI - Minister for Planning and Development Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani on Thursday expressed serious concern over unused funds allocated for various schemes relating to roads and irrigation department.
“It is regrettable that despite releasing billions of rupees, not a single penny has been spent on 44 schemes of irrigation and 139 projects of works and service in the current financial year,” he regretted.
This he said while presiding over a mid-year review meeting of development schemes, included in ADP 2016-17, in the committee room of Planning and Development Department.
Secretary Works and Service Aijaz Ahmed Memon told the meeting that 1513 schemes were going on in the current financial year at an estimated cost of Rs11678.390 million, out of which only Rs7312.941 million had been utilised while a released sum of Rs1085.811 million for 139 schemes remained unused so far.
“The figures given by Irrigation Department are shocking, according to which an additional amount of 14187.249 million rupees for 306 ongoing schemes has been released against the sum of Rs12803.660 million whereas Rs794.523 million of the released funds for 44 schemes remain unused till this date.
Bijarani directed the concerned authorities to expedite work on the development schemes in order to avoid the wastage of funds.
Besides he instructed the works and service to complete the projects of Steel Mill Quaidabad road, Thatta Karachi dual carriage way, Dhabeji Economic zone way and Kandhkot Thull road by the end of June this year.
He added that it was high time to spread a network of roads linking small towns and villages with large cities in order to increase economic activity in the region. He also advised the irrigation authorities to carry out a study and develop feasibility report for a link canal or drainage system capable of protecting agriculture and inhabitants of the three districts of Kandhkot, Shikarpur and Larkana against the savages of floods and heavy rains.