December 8, 2001	Saturday	Ramazan 22, 1422

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MUZAFFARABAD, Dec 7: Only 7.87 per cent development funds have been utilized in Azad Kashmir during the first quarter of the current financial year, 0.8 percent less than that of the corresponding period last year, sources told Dawn here on Friday.

The fund allocated for the annual development programme (ADP) for the current year is Rs2.580 billion, including an IDA credit of Rs342 million, and out of this amount, different departments have reported an expenditure of Rs202.937 million till the end of September.

Audit department’s expenditure was 6.26 per cent as against 7.76 per cent in the corresponding period last year. The hydro electric board spent nothing out of its allocation of Rs170 million.

Similarly, the development authorities of Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Rawalakot and Bagh, whose 25 schemes were approved by the planning and development department, did not utilize their funds. The social welfare department, the animal husbandry department and the tourism/fisheries/wildlife department also failed to spend the funds allocated to them.

The local government and rural development department’s utilization of development budget was only 0.26 per cent, while the health sector’s overall fund’s utilization stood at 6.74 per cent — 2.34 per cent less than that of the corresponding period last year.

According to the sources, the health department has not been spending its development funds for many years.

The spending in the education sector, having a development budget of Rs457million, was 5.47 per cent. The fund’s utilization by the electricity department, whose development budget is Rs209 million, was around 2.63 per cent.

The overall utilization of funds in the foreign-aided projects was 6.86 per cent, while individually, the highest utilization of funds, 13.30 per cent, was by the Northern Resources Management Project, followed by 8.10 per cent by the Bhimbher Upland Rehabilitation Project, 7.10 per cent by the Area Development Programme and 6.66 per cent by Neelum and Jhelum Valley projects. The forest department utilized 11.87 per cent of its funds.

The maximum utilization of funds at 45.11 per cent was observed in the industries department. The AJK Mineral and Industrial Development Corporation and the AJK Small Industries Corporation utilized 12.74 and 18.75 per cent funds, respectively.

The sources said Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat had expressed displeasure over the performance of the departments when the figures had been brought to his notice at a recent review meeting.

The premier was said to have directed all the departments to complete at least 40 per cent work on their development schemes by the end of the current month, and warned of action in case the departments failed to follow his instructions.