October 15, 2006	Sunday	Ramazan 21, 1427

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LARKANA, Oct 14: The fate of development schemes initiated under the citizen community board in the district hangs in the balance as the Sindh finance department has not released the allocated amount.

Sources told Dawn on Saturday that an amount of Rs36.328 million for undertaking development works between 2002-03 and 2005-06 years were with the Sindh finance department.

The amount is saving from the block allocation of the annual development programme.

DCO Naseer Jamali in a letter to the secretary finance department had pointed out towards the availability of fund and called for its early release.

Under section 51 (5) of budget rules the unspent balance from the 25 per cent funds reserved in the current budget for the CCB should be added to fresh allocation in the next year.

He said that the unspent balance of Rs36.328 million might be released to the district government. District Nazim Mohammed Bakhsh Arijo said that the district government had yet not received the fund and delay would definitely hamper work on new development schemes.

At a meeting it was informed that the finance department had even not released Rs14.668 million allocated in the current year.

It allowed forming of scrutiny and monitoring committees as payment would be made after their verification.

Six schemes of water supply and sanitation had been completed with the cost of Rs27.480 million and 50 per cent work on seven schemes had been completed. Eight new schemes of Rs8.64 million were referred to sector offices for cost verification and viability of schemes.

Due to disharmony in the district council, 69 development schemes of Awam Dost Panel nazims, submitted under the CCB project with the authority concerned were not placed before the council for approval.

It was learnt that in the absence of new development schemes being executed trough CCB, the finance department did not release the funds that in turn hampered the projects in the district.