HYDERABAD, Sept 12: An amount of Rs665.30 million of different heads of the district government had lapsed in the outgoing year 2002-2003, the district council was officially informed by the district Nazim, Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman, at a meeting held here on Friday.

According to the break-up of funds, out of Rs250 million of the Hyderabad Development Package, only Rs9.07 could be utilized by the end of the fiscal year as the remaining Rs240.93 million had lapsed on June 30. Likewise, Rs85.17 million out of Rs95 million of some schemes of the Hyderabad Development Authority had lapsed because the authority from the accountant general, Sindh, was issued after a delay of 10 months. Only an amount of Rs2.33 million was utilized on the schemes.

Similarly, out of Rs151 million of the Annual Development Programme, Rs140.27 million lapsed as against this amount only Rs10.73 could be utilized as the authority was given by the accountant general branch on June 25.

These were the funds which were released at the fag end of the fiscal year by the provincial government in June after a series of protest by district council members.

Under the head of the Khushaal Pakistan Programme-III, Rs23.43 million lapsed out of an allocation of Rs270.97 million as only Rs247.54 were spent. Out of Rs82.40 million allocated on January 22 for Khushaal Pakistan Programme-IV, Rs76.49 lapsed as an expenditure of Rs5.91 million could be made.

As far as the head of sugar cess is concerned, funds of Rs208.24 million were allocated in 2002 and released on April 29, 2002. He added that only Rs125.66 million were utilized as a result of which Rs82.58 million lapsed and the matter was taken up with the provincial finance department.

He said that funds were revalidated but not released as the finance department utilized them for some other head of another district.

An amount of Rs16.43 million of transition funds had also lapsed out of an allocation of Rs29 million and only Rs12.57 million were utilized.

He said that former Sindh local bodies minister Mohammad Hussain had banned the utilization of funds from transition funds and the ban still continued.