KARACHI, Feb 28: The Sindh component of schemes under the Taameer-i-Pakistan programme was reviewed in detail at a meeting held here on Monday under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Local Government Abdul Razaq Thahim at the New Sindh Secretariat.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Advisor to Chief Minister for Local Government, Waseem Akhtar, Additional Chief Secretary Local Government, Mohammed Saleem Khan, ACS Development Ghulam Sarwar Khehro, Nazim Naimatullah Khan, DCOs of Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana, Nawabshah, Thatta, Sukkur, Jacobabad and other districts besides senior officials.

The federal minister appointed the ACS local government to monitor the implementation and pace of schemes under the Taameer-i- Pakistan programme. Apart from schemes which are being executed by the local government department through the DCOs, the schemes pertaining to HESCO, KESC, PWD and PTCL were also reviewed in the presence of their representatives.

Abdul Razaq Thahim was briefed about the progress of ongoing projects, with implementation status, besides physical and financial status. The meeting emphasised that all schemes, which were initiated in the year 2003-04 be given priority and completed by June 30. It was informed that proposals for other ongoing schemes for the current year are also being finalized.

It was decided that in future all DCOs would head the district monitoring committees which will also have officials from the federal executing agencies, like PWD PTCL, SSGC, HESCO and KESC.

With this decision, the local government department will become the focal point for monitoring the progress of all the schemes under Taameer-i-Pakistan programme. The district monitoring committee will now report to the ACS Local Government. ACS Local Government Mohammed Saleem Khan and Special Secretary Ishaq Lashari gave detailed presentations about current status of the schemes.

In all, 98 schemes of 14 MNAs and 15 Senators from Sindh are being executed through DCOs which is only 10 per cent of the total number schemes. The rest of the schemes are being executed through Pak PWD, PTCL, SSGC, HESCO and KESC.

Later Talking to APP, Mr Razaq Thahim said that it had been decided that all those schemes which were launched in 2003-04 and funds released thereof would be completed first. He said the objective is that funds allocated be utilised so that more funds could be provided. -APP