DADU, Dec 12: Around 300 minor and major development projects could not be launched in Dadu district out of the Rs200 million development package announced by General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz due to negligence of officers.

These packages were announced by the president and prime minister during their visits of Betto Jatoi this year.

These included electricity, gas and water supply projects and a number of other schemes. The local administration had allocated, with the consent of federal Minister for Water and Power, Liaquat Ali Khan Jatoi, Rs40 million for CC blocks of the taluka headquarters Dadu, Johi, Khairpur Nathan Shah and Mehar while the remaining amount was to be allocated for other projects.

The works and services department, Dadu, invited tenders on November 6 and around 100 contractors were short listed in A to C categories but formal tenders were yet to opened.

Some contractors alleged that the matter was being delayed for want of commission. The remaining works including drainage, CC blocks, small schemes of roads and water supply schemes which could not be initiated.

The DCO is the project director of the development schemes, but due to intervention of influential political figures, the EDO works and services was made chairman of the schemes, while the DCO and the executive engineer public health engineering department were made members.

Two of the affected contractors, Ahmed Khan Shaikh and Ramzan Panhwar, alleged that the EDO works and services was favouring contractors belonging to other districts who were paying handsome commission to him while the local contractors were being ignored.

They alleged that commission was being demanded in the name of district nazim Dadu and those who refused to comply with his directives, were being denied contracts.

Office-bearers of the Dadu Citizen Action Committee , Javed Akhtar Ghaloo, lamented that following introduction of commission system in the district, development schemes had badly suffered.

He demanded that the district and sessions judge, Dadu, should take suo motu notice of the matter and institute an inquiry in the interest of people of the district.

When contacted, EDO works and services, Mohammad Ali Memon, said that Rs50 million were released to this department out of a total Rs200 million.

He said that some schemes were initiated while others would be launched when nazims would send their proposals.

He claimed that transparency was being observed in all the development schemes.