LARKANA, April 25: Sindh Minister for Planning and Development Shoaib Ahmed Bukhari has said that the ground-breaking ceremony for a bridge over the River Indus connecting Larkana and Khairpur Mirs’ districts will be held in November 2005.

Talking to journalists here on Monday, he said the PC-I for the project was being prepared and initially an amount of Rs2.75 billion had been allocated.

He said the bridge would shorten the distance between the two districts and usher into new era of development on both sides.

Mr Bukhari said the Sindh government had in principle decided to establish Shah Latif Medical University in Larkana after elevating the status of Chandka Medical College.

He said a university for social and natural sciences would also be established in Larkana and a medical college would be set up in Khairpur Mirs’.

He said the dispute between the Sindh chief minister and Imtiaz Shaikh was purely internal matter of the PML where the MQM was not a party.

When asked will the MQM field independent or put candidates with its coalition partners in the next local bodies elections, the minister replied it was premature to comment as the time would decide about the strategy.

Earlier, he laid the foundation stone of the government girls’ degree college in Badah town which is being constructed at the cost of Rs32.5 million.

He said the town would get new schemes of water supply and drainage.

He visited the Chandka Medical College where principle Prof Sikandar Ali Shaikh gave a briefing to the minister.

The minister presided over a meeting of executive district officers of Larkana and Shahdadkot districts.

SEMINAR: Speakers at a seminar on “child rights” held here on Monday said that in Larkana 11,000 children are doing labour to earn their livelihood.