KARACHI, Jan 14: The Sindh Planning and Development Minister Shoib Bokhari wants a revision "on urgent basis" of schedule of rates for 11 finished items used in construction.

"Till such time the entire schedule of rules of 1995 finished items is comprehensively considered, the revision of schedule rates for 11 finished items may revised on urgent basis," the minister has pleaded in a communication addressed to his cabinet colleague the senior minister, who holds charge of Finance and is a retired bureaucrat, Syed Sardar Ahmad.

Shoib Bokhari recalled the formation of a committee as far back as 1985 and said that some revision was done in 1995 but in that revision exercise "the schedule of rates for finished items of work was not revised," he recalled.

Since the government committee remained dormant for last eight years since 1995 Shoib Bokhari observes that rates being quoted in the development schemes remain same despite the fact that actual prevailing market rates of petroleum products, cement, steel and wages have increased.

He has identified the 11 specific cement and iron works involved in the construction and are part of the development schemes. Afzal Muneef, a former Planning and Development minister of Sindh during early 90s, had conceded leakage of 35 per cent of development funds in the province because of ambiguity in the schedule of construction rates. "Bricks and mortar generate more money for unscrupulous contractors and corrupt officials rather than adding any facility for the people of the province," a young engineer of planning department remarked.

A most glaring example of squandering away of public money is the implementation of World Bank and Asian Development Bank aided Social Action Programme (SAP) in Sindh involving an outlay of about Rs83 billion in two phases. Bulk of the money of this programme was literally squandered away adding no facility in education, water supply and population welfare.