04 June 2004	Friday	15 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

KARACHI, June 3: Sindh hardly got a six per cent share in the Rs202 billion Public Sector Development Programme (PDSP) for 2004-05 as the projects approved by the National Economic Council early this week show an allocation of Rs11.65 billion development funds only.

The projects for the next fiscal year carry a total investment outlay of more than Rs131 billion. Of this total cost, the federal government has provided only Rs34.22 billion till June this year. All these projects need Rs97 billion for completion, against which an allocation of Rs11.65 billion has been made for the next fiscal year.

"The Sindh chief minister's plea for an allocation of about Rs9.50 billion for three fast track projects - 100 mgd water supply for Karachi, RBOD-II and Lyari Expressway - literally went unheard," a source privy to the NEC meeting informed Dawn on Thursday.

Total cost of these three projects is about Rs23 billion against which only a sum of Rs4 billion has been provided. The next fiscal year's PSDP stipulates an allocation of Rs4 billion against which the Sindh chief minister asked for Rs9.50 billion.

The source said that the atmosphere at the NEC meeting was tense and participants from the provinces looked terse. Except for once when the representatives from Balochistan reacted sharply on the Gwadar issue when an official of a federal government agency suggested dislocation of entire civilian population to facilitate the construction of port infrastructure, the proceedings were quite and looked mechanical.

Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali touched the issue of National Finance Commission at the outset and when he was about to finish his speech. Some eight projects of the water and power sector in Sindh have claimed the highest allocation of Rs3.80 billion.

Total cost of these projects is Rs95.43 billion. Out of these, about Rs33 billion has been released, and against a throw forward of Rs61 billion, Rs3.80 billion has been indicated for allocation for the next fiscal year.

Brick and mortar claims more than Rs3.34 billion in the physical planning and housing sector. This sector includes eight construction projects of the Pakistan Rangers and federal law enforcement agencies in Sindh.

A sum of Rs1.30 billion has been provided for 80 projects in the education sector, while the health sector has been given about Rs193 million. About Rs295 million has been proposed for the science and technology sector.

Other sectors - population welfare, information and media development and tourism and sports - have been given small allocations for the next fiscal year.