RAWALPINDI: The district administration has asked the local parliamentarians to submit their development schemes for their constituencies as the federal government will release Rs1.1 billion under Sustainable Development Goals Programme (SDGP).

A senior official of the district administration told Dawn that the federal government had in this regard allocated Rs150 million development funds for each of the seven National Assembly constituencies during the current fiscal year.

He said the district administration had asked the local parliamentarians to submit their development schemes so the project concepts could be formed and the work could be launched as soon as the funds were released.

He said the district required improvement of roads, schools and solution of water shortage problem and in this regard, the district administration was waiting for the funds from the provincial and federal government.

Rs150 million funds allocated for each of the seven National Assembly constituencies in the district

“Former PML-N government in Punjab had launched development schemes of more than Rs1 billion but the work had to be suspended because the PTI government had stopped funding,” he said.

The senior official of the district administration said work on 90 development schemes had been suspended for the last one year due to shortage of funds, though the district administration had sent a request for funding to the finance department but to no avail.

He said the district administration had also informed all the members of national and provincial assemblies about lack of funds so they could bring the funding for the previous development projects.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Saifullah Dogar held a meeting of District Coordination Committee which was attended by Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan and other six MNAs and 14 MPAs of the district.

The meeting was attended by MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, MPAs Haji Amjad Mehmood Chaudhry, Chaudhry Adnan, Chaudhry Sajid, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, Litasab Satti and others.

The meeting was informed that the water issue would be solved on priority basis while there was a need to spend money on the roads, streets and drainages construction.

A special briefing was also given about the Ring Road project.

The administration informed the meeting about the plan to establish three universities in Rawalpindi.

Senior officials informed the meeting that clean drinking water, roads, bridges as well as other ongoing projects in Rawalpindi would be started to discourage people from going to other cities.

The administration officials told the meeting once the projects were completed the quality of life of the people would improve.

Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi Saifullah Dogar said all ongoing development projects will soon be completed.

He also gave briefing to Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar and members of the parliament about Clean and Green drive and other projects.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2019