Over 300 Sindh small projects could be scrapped

Karachi: The Sindh Planning and Development Department has identified more than 300 small projects, which were yet to take off, to scrap if funds constrain requires. Sources said on Thursday that doing away with these many projects would save nearly Rs 20 billion out of Rs 50 billion allocated for annual development projects during 2007-08 period.

They said that the flow of Rs 17 billion from the federal government, more than Rs 3 billion from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other smaller assistance from foreign donors all have become uncertain. They said that the cut would have some impact on the funds of city district governments as well.

They said that the directive from the federal government to review ongoing mega projects and those that have yet to be initiated are being examined. Those that are in progress for funds and acceleration of work and those that have yet to take off, for dropping from the list, at least from the current year ADP, they added.

They said that so far there was a pause in development work and only a few projects such as construction of roads, lining of canals, dredging of canals, and a few water supply schemes were in progress. Projects in the health and education sector, women development and social welfare were still to be taken up by the respective departments, they said.

They said that the expected cut in the provincial development outlay would adversely affect some of areas, which were neglected in the past and where development schemes were to be initiated for the first time. They said that development projects in upper Sindh were hit hard by political uncertainty and since March 2007 there was a slowdown in physical work.

Sources were of the view that even the ongoing new projects would remain incomplete as the progress reports so far received from different districts showed there was, at an average, 70 percent work still remains to be completed. Only after five months the current fiscal year would come to an end, they added. It is learnt that after the dissolution of Sindh Cabinet, ministers are more inclined toward statuesque than in actively pursuing development work.