KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that development of major cities and properly planned socio-economic uplift of secondary cities will make a difference, otherwise filling the gaps will be mere cosmetic arrangement.

He said this while speaking to the participants at the 105th national management course at new secretariat on Tuesday.

The CM said that Rs45 billion had been allocated for the development of Karachi and a modern transport system had been planned for the metropolis including a bus rapid transport corridor.

Talking about the energy sector, the CM said there was a shortage of 1200MW of electricity and 180mmcfd shortfall of gas in Sindh.

Other statistics he shared showed that 30 per cent of the population is not connected to an electric grid and only about 39 per cent of the population gets gas supply.

The CM added that his government had taken special initiatives for generating alternative energy through wind, solar, bio-energy and hydropower. It is also invested in the development of Thar coal infrastructure and establishment of Sindh Trans­mission & Dispatch Company (STDC).

With regards to union council based poverty reduction, several programmes have been launched for Rs4.916 billion for six districts which include Khairpur, Sanghar, Badin, Thatta, Umerkot and Mirpurkhas. Originally this programme was launched in Kashmore and Kandhkot to reduce poverty, improve quality of poor and marginalised communities focusing on women. He added that the programme focused on households selected through poverty scorecard at UC level.

Some special health and nutrition programmes have also been exclusively started for Thar, he announced.

The CM also briefed participants about water conservation and said that the Sindh government has started the lining of Rohri Canal, the largest canal in Asia. “We line 10km every year. The lining would not only conserve water but reduce seepage, occurrence of breaches, and would also help to rehabilitate acres of waterlogged and destroyed land,” he said

“I have put in place a good team in the cabinet and in the bureaucracy and am trying that everyone should do their work on time; this will make a difference.”

For the current financial year, he said, his government had given a Rs10 billion package to complete 19 important schemes of roads, bridges, and underpasses. Poverty reduction, he added, through community development was aimed at bridging the gaps in the areas of health, education, women empowerment, legal aid, water, sanitation and skill development through local civil society. This sector had been launched with Rs3 billion and so far 104 projects have been completed benefiting 85,000 households.

Some 3,630 shelterless families have been provided low-cost houses, 35,291 households given interest-free loans, income generating grants have been given to 3,940 households, 332 villages provided with drinking water, sanitation and brick pavements, and 9,020 people given vocational skills.

Also, 57,787 families have been provided health coverage, 60 schools made functional and 43 villages have been rehabilitated.

The meeting was attended by chief secretary Siddique Memon, additional chief secretary (dev) Mohammd Wasim, additional IG-Karachi Mushtaq Maher, principal secretary to CM Naveed Kamran Baloch and others.—APP

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2016