HYDERABAD, Sept 15: The Sindh planning and development department, keeping in view the decision made by the provincial cabinet, has asked the district Nazims and DCOs to obtain competent authority’s approval for the new development schemes by Sept 30.

This was observed by the Nazim, Hyderabad district, Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman, while presiding over a meeting at Shahbaz Hall here on Saturday.

The meeting, which reviewed the pace of work on development schemes, was attended by district Nazims, DCOs and concerned officials of the provincial departments from all over Sindh except Karachi.

The meeting discussed the scheme-wise progress of the Annual Development Programme (ADP), Khushhal Pakistan Programme (KPP) phase-III, Drought Emergency Relief Assistance (DERA), village electrification and lining of water courses.

The director general (M&C), planning and development, Mohammad Ali Khaskheli, said that Rs7,000 million have been earmarked in current financial year 2002-2003 for 872 on-going provincial and district government development schemes. He said that Rs1,363.711 million have been released to the districts till Sept 9 for the 872 on-going development schemes.

Referring to the KPP phase-III, he said that out of the approved cost of Rs3,151.835, Rs3,066.44 have been released for the 2,159 on-going development schemes. These projects have provided jobs to 41,924 persons and are likely to benefit a population of at least 24,256,038.

Of the 506 abandoned schemes, he said, 112 schemes needed revision, whereas 394 schemes are to be completed within the approved cost as per amount allocated in current financial year April i.e. 2002-2003. However, Nazims of various districts sought for reappropriation powers to get these schemes completed priority-wise.

The meeting was informed that the federal government has decided to allocate Rs500 million for water supply and sewerage schemes of four major cities of the province, including special grants of Rs200 million for Hyderabad and Rs100 million each for Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Nawabshah.

The director general asked the concerned district governments to identify the schemes in this regard as soon as possible. He also said that out of the 103 new schemes, 62 schemes of provincial as well as district governments still remained unapproved. All DCOs have been asked to get these schemes approved and submit the work plans latest by Sept 30.

While discussing the Drought Emergency Relief Assistance (DERA) programme, the director general, planning and development, informed that 13 districts, including Dadu, Tharparkar, Badin, Thatta, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Jacobabad, Khairpur, Shikarpur, Ghotki, Larkana, Karachi and Sukkur have been included in this programme and 1,180 schemes have been identified by the districts till June, 2002 at an estimated cost of Rs5,625 million.

However, the national steering committee has approved, 623 schemes at a cost of Rs3,387.555 million, while 80 other development schemes were forwarded by the provincial steering committee to the NSC during August, 2002 at an estimated cost of Rs518.584 million.