LARKANA, July 21: After curtailing the scope of the Drought Emergency Relief package, from Rs300 million to Rs122.5 million, the Sindh government has given a go ahead to the district government, Larkana, to undertake development works only in the remote areas of the district.

Due to the curtailment, chances for the construction of small dams in the arid zone of Larkana have become bleak, sources in the district government said on Sunday.

The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank had designed the relief programme to reduce the impact of prevailing drought by restoring and improving production capacity which would ultimately improve the standard of living and enhance the income of drought-hit people, Khursheed Junejo, the Zila Nazim, said.

The programme covers all the provinces of the country, according to the sources, for which a sharing formula has been decided by President Musharraf himself.

The formula provides for the allocation of 30 per cent each to Sindh and Balochistan, 25 per cent to Punjab and 15 per cent to the NWFP.

The plan encompassing roads, agriculture and water supply, has already been prepared and all the necessary arrangements finalized to start the work.

In the first phase, the provincial government has released an amount of Rs39.4 million under this programme.

A 555-feet pre-stressed bridge over Hamal Lake would be constructed with a cost of Rs18.87 million.

Several water supply schemes would also be started under the programme.

ARRESTED: Three robbers, Sabir Awan, Akeel Awan and Naurez Khan Shar, were nabbed in the Nawtak locality here on Saturday night as police responded promptly to a distress call.