HYDERABAD, Feb 5: The appointment of a project director for the Rs10.5 billion Hyderabad Development Package remains a dilemma notwithstanding the fact that advertisements for hiring consultants have been given by the DCO.

An official source told this correspondent that there was a difference of opinion over the appointment of the project director.

He said some Sindh ministers, who were members of the working committee that would monitor the project, wanted to hire the project director from the private sector on a four-year contract whereas Sindh and district governments bureaucracy supported the appointment of a government official as the director.

A steering committee, jointly headed by Sindh chief minister and the governor, would oversee the project and the working committee would report the progress directly to the steering committee.

According to minutes of a meeting, held on Dec 3, 2003, and presided over by Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, it was decided that the project director would be appointed preferably from the private sector by the working committee.

It was also decided that consultants would be working under the project director. However, it was decided that during a period when the post of the project director was vacant, the consultants would administratively be working under the officer so designated by the Sindh government.

It was learnt that the 11-member working committee would now be headed by the adviser to the chief minister on local bodies, spatial development and kutchi abadis, Waseem Akhtar. Earlier, the committee was head by Sindh Minister Syed Sardar Ahmad.

Other members of the committee are Sindh Auqaf and Religious Affairs Minister Dr Irfan Gul Magsi, adviser to the chief minister on home affairs, district Nazim, Naib Nazim, additional chief secretary, planning and development, a representative of 5-Corps, additional chief secretary, local government, finance secretary and DCO Mohammad Hussain Syed. The DCO is also the secretary of the working committee.

Sindh Sports Minister Naeem Ishtiaq has been inducted in the working committee whereas the DCO will also be a member/secretary of the steering committee.

In the follow-up meeting of Dec 3, that was chaired by the Sindh chief secretary, the issue of the project director was discussed. The meeting supported the appointment of a government official as the director.

It was learnt that minutes of the meeting had not been issued so far.

District Nazim Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman resigned from the working committee after his demand that taluka Nazims of Hyderabad should be inducted as members of the working committee was not accepted by the government.

He said in case a government official was appointed as the project director, he would be accountable to the government even after the completion of the development plan.

Advertisements have appeared in national newspapers for appointment of consultants.

The consultants will prepare a master plan in six months of the contract in coordination with the working committee and the project director. The district government and union and taluka municipal administrations have been asked to identify problems in various sectors by studying the existing situation and prioritize development projects under the plan.

An official source said keeping in mind the continuity of the development plan, it was proposed that the project director should be from the private sector.

He said some officials also suggested that the project director should be a government official as he had to work in coordination with the district government.

The source claimed that the issue would also be resolved in one or two weeks.