HYDERABAD, July 1: The district government has sought details of its savings and expenditures from the accounts office following closure of fiscal year 2003-04 to prepare the budget as soon as possible.

District government sources told this correspondent here on Thursday that the district accounts office would give statements of accounts of expenditures and savings by July 2 after getting the same from the State Bank.

They said the finance and planning section was said to have curtailed the deficit of Rs1.15 billion that was being incurred in the head of salaries alone. The section has sought fresh details of salaries of employees of the district government's eight departments.

The sources said Rs40 million seemed to have been curtailed as the departments had given fresh accounts of their salaries with the result that salary expenditures now stood at Rs2.8 billion, instead of Rs3.19 billion. The salaries included 15 per cent increase announced by the government.

A saving of Rs250-300 million is also expected from ongoing and completed development schemes. A source said if the savings were ensured, the district government would be in a position to allocate Rs500 million more for the Annual Development Programme in the budget.

Finance and planning officials have learnt that salaries of June would be paid by the Sindh government which would enable the district government to save the salary amount.

A source said Rs132.6 million was required for schemes of Rs1.3 million of each union council. These works will be completed from savings of different heads. The district had last year allocated funds to the Hyderabad Development Authority of which Rs80 million remained un-utilized.

An amount of Rs20 million allocated for purchase of vehicles also could not be utilized. The total amount saved was Rs120 million, the source added. He said the remaining difference of Rs12.6 million was to be met through savings of last year.