KARACHI: Rs8.15 billion allocated for Karachi projects
By Aamir Shafaat Khan
KARACHI, June 15: Out of a total allocation of Rs43 billion for 23 districts of Sindh, Karachi has a budget estimate of Rs8.15 billion for 2006-2007 as against the last revised estimate of Rs 8.7 billion in 2005-2006. However, the government had a budget estimate of Rs8.3 billion for 2005-2006.
Karachi is the 14th largest city of the world with a population of approximately 15 million and is projected to become the sixth largest city of the world by 2015 with a population of 19 million.
The government has sought assistance of the Asian Development Bank for the mega city projects with a view to facilitate modern management of this backbone of Pakistan’s economy and to provide needed infrastructure and services. ADB in this context has extended a technical assistance of $10 million for facilitating preparation of various projects to be financed under the Mega City Project. The follow-up loan will be negotiated in 2006-2007.
The Tameer-i-Karachi Package, announced by the president in August 2003, has moved forward. Various schemes under the package, as well as those being executed with federal funds are nearing completion, prominent among them being the Northern Bypass and Lyari Expressway. A break-up of allocation with sector-wise estimates reveals that a sum of Rs117 million has been allocated for industries in Sindh for new schemes in which the share of city’s industrial sector is Rs30 million for special industrial estate on Super Highway. The total allocation for industries in Sindh is Rs600 million.
The allocation for the ongoing schemes of improvement in infrastructural facilities in the industrial estates of Sindh, Industrial Trading Estate Limited Karachi, Nooriabad, Hyderabad, Kotri and Sukkur is Rs299 million.
In water and power category, a sum of Rs5 million has been allocated for electrification in Goths of Karachi under a new scheme out of total power sector allocation of Rs65 million for 2006-2007.
For the ongoing schemes, a sum of Rs20 million has been allocated for the setting up of planning, monitoring and evaluation in the irrigation and power department in Karachi under survey and investigation. A sum of Rs20 million has been earmarked for construction of delay-action dams, small dams and recharge dam in Lower Kohistan for Karachi/Jamshoro.
For construction of Bund Weir-III across River Malir RD-62.4 Demlotte Well, Rs15 million has been allocated.
In transport and communication, a sum of Rs4.5 billion has been allocated for new fiscal in which share of Karachi is very negligible as compared to other districts. Under new scheme, a sum of Rs1.9 million has been fixed for the feasibility study with regard to the construction of road from Super Highway to Sehwan along the Sui Gas Line of 152kms for Karachi to Dadu.
In ongoing scheme (improvement), Rs4.164 million has been allocated for widening/reconditioning of Hub Road to Mochko (8kms) under the scheme for Karachi. The total allocation for improvement sector is Rs1.176 billion for new fiscal. A sum of Rs1 million has been earmarked for block scheme for improvement of provincial roads in Malir. The construction of Gadap-Mole road (Karachi) gets the allocation of Rs5 million. A sum of Rs1 million has been fixed for block schemes for the construction of provincial roads in each district (Karachi/Malir).
In education, Rs5 million has been fixed for the establishment of polytechnic institutes at Korangi and Azam Basti Karachi under new schemes. Rs2 million each have been earmarked for the introduction of postgraduate
