KARACHI, April 16: The district development working party of the city government has given approval to new uplift schemes costing Rs640 million and put off for a week a decision on some other schemes requiring a total of Rs130 million on technical grounds.

The officials concerned have been directed to rectify the technical deficiencies before submitting the schemes in the next meeting of the working party.

The DDWP meeting, held on Friday night, was attended by Adviser to the City Nazim Abid Ilyas, EDO Works Sarfaraz Ali Shah and officials of finance, planning, revenue, and works & services departments, as well as those of Tameer-i-Karachi Programme.

It considered an allocation of Rs1.1 billion to be allocated in the next budget for repair, maintenance, lining and construction of storm water drains.

The meeting was informed that the storm water drains programme had been proposed to be included in the next budget.

The amount of Rs1.10 billion would be distributed among towns and each of them would be provided Rs60 million.

The schemes approved under MPAs’ programme and special development programme with the CDGK funding would include the repair and replacement of sewerage lines, laying of new pipelines and construction and improvement of roads and streets.

Under the MPAs’ programme, Rs2 million would be spent on laying of water pipelines in Muslimabad and adjoining areas in SITE Town, Rs1.7 million on improvement of sewerage lines and construction of manholes in UCs 1, 2 and 7 of Keamari Town, Rs4.5 million on the repair of streets in sectors 14 and 16 of Orangi Town, Rs5 million on the construction of streets and roads in UCs 4, 8, 9, 10 and 11 in Saddar Town and more than Rs10 million on the construction of roads and water tanks, installation of street lights and change of water pipelines in Jamshed Town.

The city government will spend Rs1.5 million on a health centre and other development works in Landhi Town, besides Rs0.5 million on a water supply scheme in Korangi Town.

Approval was also given to the construction of Sindhi Hotel Road costing Rs9.7 million, a pumping station in Surjani Town costing Rs12.20 million, and a water pipeline between North Nazimabad and Orangi Town costing Rs80 million.

DCO Fazlur Rehman said that since budgetary provisions were available for all these schemes and all necessary formalities had also been completed, work on the approved schemes should begin forthwith.

He said the city government would ensure completion of these schemes on time and would take action against the concerned engineers if unnecessary delays were caused.—APP