BAHAWALPUR, June 28: The district council on Thursday approved the tax-free surplus budget of Rs3,683.201 million for 2007-08. Winding up the two-day general discussion on the budget, District Nazim Tariq Cheema informed the house that the district government had received an interim award of Rs3,042.327 million for the upcoming fiscal year from the provincial government.

He claimed that during the last six years, he had utilised the funds to the tune of about Rs9 billion on uplift projects without any discrimination. Such a heavy amount, he said, had never been spent in any of the districts even in Gujrat, the hometown of the chief minister.

He said the district administration had transferred Rs120 million to the NLC to provide missing facilities in the government schools.

As for the development, he said new fruit and vegetable markets were being built in the city at a cost of Rs90 million while Rs80 million would be utilised on the construction of 138-kilometre roads. Budgetary allocation for road network had been doubled, he said.

The house also approved the amended budget of Rs2,366.819 million for the current fiscal year with a closing balance of Rs36.587 million.