HYDERABAD, July 6: An amount of Rs159.07 million allocated for schemes of the Khushhal Pakistan Programme, phase-4, and sugar cess of 2002-2003, has lapsed as it was not be utilized in the stipulated period.

Officials of the district government’s finance department told this correspondent here on Saturday that work on development schemes in rural areas had been delayed as the re-validation process of the funds would take up to three months.

The Sindh government had released the amount for schemes of roads, water supply, drainage and pavements in different talukas of the district.

For fiscal year of 2002-2003, the Sindh government allocated Rs208.241 million for sugar cess schemes of the district. The Sindh finance department released Rs125.657 million of the total allocation. After the amount was spent, the district government moved the Sindh government for release of the remaining Rs82.584 million, which lapsed.

Sources in the district finance department said district government officials approached the accountant general of Sindh to re-validate and release the funds but by then the same amount was given to some other department.

Twenty out of 114 schemes of sugar cess were completed and the rest were under execution. These schemes were being carried out in areas of Matiari, Tando Allahyar, Tando Mohammad Khan and Hyderabad taluka which produce sugarcane.

The sources blamed the accountant general for delaying the release of funds to the district government. They said execution of 23 water supply and drainage schemes of 2001-2002 was also delayed as the accountant general did not give authority to the treasury office for release of funds.

Under phase-4 of the KPP, the Sindh government allocated Rs82.400 million after 106 schemes — 69 of road, 23 of drainage, eight of water supply and six of pavement — were sanctioned for execution.

An amount of Rs5.910 million was released for the schemes and the rest was lying with the Sindh government.

The sources said that after the Sindh finance department released the funds to the accountant general, an authority was issued to the district treasury office and afterwards payment was made to contractors through bills and cheques. This amount was not directly transferred in the account-4 of the DCO.

On the basis of a certificate, to be issued by the district treasury office to the district finance department mentioning that the amount has lapsed, the Sindh government will again be approached for re-validation of the amount so that it can be utilized on ongoing uplift schemes.

The district government of Hyderabad has also approached the Sindh government for re-validating Rs151 million allocated under the Annual Development Programme of 2002-2003, that lapsed on June 30.

The sources said this amount would now be utilized under the head of ongoing schemes, after it was re-validated.