HYDERABAD, Oct 16: Funds are yet not released for development of parks and playgrounds which were announced in May by the Sindh local body adviser to the chief minister, Wasim Akhtar.

The projects are part of Rs1 billion programme of special projects for development of Hyderabad.

Contractors are waiting for funds as the finance department did not make it available to the district government.

There are seven projects for development of parks in the city taluka and two each in Latifabad and Qasimabad talukas.

An amount of Rs14,497,290 will be spent on these projects.

One playground will be developed in city at a cost of Rs5,776,900 and five playgrounds in the Latifabad taluka would be developed at a cost of Rs9,826,300.

Likewise, graveyards in the city will be improved at a cost of Rs15,168,750.

An amount of Rs7,994,500 will be spent on the restoration of historic Pucca Qilla gate and the Holmstead hall.

Development of the Barrage colony, Hussainabad Mehran park, Noorani Basti Mustafa ground and Afzal ground unit No.10 and the Gulistan-i-Sajjad graveyard would be completed at a cost of Rs33,409,250.

Besides, these projects other development plans include 15 schemes of filtration plants, improvement of flyovers and installation of generators at filter plants.

These schemes were approved by the provincial development working party and their implementation was stressed by the local body adviser himself on May 13.

Sources said that these projects were part of the presidential development package of Hyderabad.

The then Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali announced Rs10.5 billion in September 2003 on behalf of President General Pervez Musharraf, who had visited the city in August of the same year.

The contractors were informed that the funds were not released so their bills could not be paid.

Sources in the district government said they had requested to the provincial adviser, finance department and the local government secretary to release funds but none paid attention to their plea.

The projects are necessary for development of the city.

It is inefficiency of the departments concerned as the important positions of finance, local bodies, planning and development are held by the MQM.

The local bodies’ adviser and MQM leaders have been making claims over last several months for executing various development schemes.

But the reality was entirely different which was evident from the present position of special projects’ funds.