LAHORE: Districts spent less than allocated - First half of fiscal year
By Zaheer Mahmood Siddiqui
LAHORE, Feb 21: Severe fiscal inefficiency has been detected in nine district governments of the Punjab as these spent below 20 per cent of their development budgets during the first half of 2004-05 fiscal.
Finance department officials told Dawn on Monday that the district governments which were able to avail less than 20 per cent of their development budgets till Dec 31, 2004, were Khanewal (9.10 per cent), Rajanpur (10.93 per cent), Khushab and Vehari (12.38pc), Pakpattan (14.26pc), Sheikhupra (14.35pc), Bhakkar (16.05pc), Faisalabad (16.54pc) and Attock (18pc).
Khanewal had a budget of Rs664.866 million and it could spend Rs60.518 million on development; Rajanpur Rs650.805 million and Rs71.161 million; Khushab Rs447.696 million and Rs55.444 million; Vehari Rs386 million and Rs47.791 million; Pakpattan Rs390.234 million and Rs55.668 million; Sheikhupura Rs807.038 million and Rs115.832 million; Bhakkar Rs535.188 million and Rs85.945 million; Faisalabad Rs1,265.58 million and Rs209.372 million and Attock Rs740 million and Rs133.247 million.
Officials said 17 district governments used 20 to 40 per cent of their development budgets. Bahawalnagar spent 20.02 per cent, Gujranwala 23.63pc, Gujrat 23.89pc, Dera Ghazi Khan 25.13pc, Jhang 25.52pc, Sialkot 26.04pc, Layyah 28.8pc, Hafizabad 29.98pc, Mianwali 31.53pc, Jhelum 32.36pc, Bahawalpur 33.7pc, Toba Tek Singh 34.09pc, Muzaffargarh 36.27pc, Rahim Yar Khan 38.74pc, Okara 38.97pc, Multan 39.04pc and Chakwal 39.55pc on development.
Bahawalnagar utilized Rs119.856 million of its Rs598.671 million budget, Gujranwala Rs231.315 million of Rs978.728 million and Gujrat Rs251.644 million of Rs1052.936 million.
Dera Ghazi Khan spent Rs137.977 million of Rs548.933 million, Jhang Rs181.519 million of Rs711.034 million, Sialkot Rs208.258 million of Rs799.694 million, Layyah Rs94.794 million of Rs329.071 million.
Hafizabad utilized Rs28.763 million of Rs95.92 million, Mianwali Rs139.392 million of Rs441.99 million, Jhelum Rs128.047 million of Rs395.621 million. Bahawalpur spent Rs153.379 million of Rs455 million, Toba Tek Singh Rs125.97 million of Rs369.493 million, Muzaffargarh Rs148.72 million of Rs410 million, Rahim Yar Khan Rs613.502 million of Rs1583.248 million, Okara Rs331.327 million of Rs850 million, Multan Rs222.635 million of Rs570.2 million and Chakwal Rs253.46 million of Rs640.707 million.
