LARKANA, March 4: The fate of a polytechnic institute for women hangs in balance because of indifference of government departments.

Sources told this correspondent on Thursday that the federal ministry of education had informed the district government about a soft loan of $10 million expected from the Islamic Development Bank to finance establishment of five polytechnic institutes for women one in each province and the Northern Areas.

Also the assistant education advisor federal ministry of education Zaffar Iqbal Javed in a letter to the district officer education works on Oct 9, 2002 called for submitting PC-I for the necessary action.

As Larkana was chosen for the purpose in Sindh so a PC-1 of the project, approved by the district development working party, was submitted with the Sindh planning and development department.

Three-acre land on the airport road was also allotted for the purpose by the district government, the sources added. The sources said the dismissed nazim in a letter to the secretary education on Dec 23, 2003 expressed his willingness for adopting the Saudi-funded project.

Planning officer Piaro Naich communicated the nazim on Aug 29 regarding certain corrections in the PC-1 to be made by the provincial development working party. The planning and development department (education section) in its meeting presided over by chief economist A.G. Pirzado on Aug 29, 2002 said establishment of the polytechnic institute for women would cost Rs80.434 million.

Again the district nazim in a letter to the additional chief secretary (planning and development), on Nov 18, 2003 had called for granting urgent administrative approval of the scheme and enabling district government to start its execution.

Despite all efforts the district government deplored that the proposal was thrown into cold storage because of it was situated in the interior of Sindh. The district government in a recent communication on Feb 28, 2005 with the director technical education had sought the latest position of the project, saying relevant record and PC-I had already been submitted to the office.

The sources said continued delay in updating the PC-1 by the department concerned could endanger the final approval of the project. However, it had urged for expediting the process.