KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Saturday said he was ready to work if Islamabad took decision to announce the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, but added that he suspected that the Centre might not do so.

He said this while speaking to media at the Expo Centre after a visit along with Education Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar to an exhibition held there.

He said the NFC Award should have been finalised and awarded to the provinces, but the federal government was stubbornly reluctant.

He said he did not remember exact figures but added: “I think during the last 10 months Sindh has received Rs67 billion less than its share,” and expressed the hope that the transfer of funds would be increased during the last two concluding months of the current financial year to cover the shortfall.

He said the provincial governments could not present their budgets before the presentation of the federal budget. “If they [Islamabad] are presenting their budget late definitely we would be late,” he said, adding, it would be presented by the end of June and it would be passed during Ramazan.

About ongoing development works, the chief minister disagreed with the impression that the work was proceeding slowly.

He assured the people of Karachi that Sharea Faisal, an underpass at the Natha Khan Bridge, University Road and other works in the city would be completed by end of June.

He said certain quarters did not want to see development of the city as “they feel threatened and also foresee their bleak political future.

“Let them stage sit-ins and protest but I would never stop development of Karachi and would keep serving the people,” he said.

Mr Shah said as far as the K-IV water project was concerned it would be completed very soon and its phase-II would be started before the end of his government’s tenure.

The chief minister said that the federal government was not releasing funds for projects it had started on its own or with the provincial government such as the Left Bank Outfall Drain project, K-IV and other schemes.

“I would complete K-IV and other mega projects even [if] I would have to steal funds [from other projects],” he said with a smile on his face.

He said the people of Sindh should have the first right on gas because 70 per cent of national gas production was contributed by Sindh.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2017