LARKANA, Aug 19 The delay in releasing the seed money is likely to hinder the opening of the secretariat of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SBBMU).

The university sources told this correspondent that the chief minister had okayed the summery of Rs200 million as seed money but the amount was yet not released.

Another Rs88 million sanctioned for purchasing 220 acres for the construction of main building with 550-bed hospital and a research centre, too had not been released.

Prof Sikandar Shaikh, appointed as the Vice Chancellor of SBBMU Larkana last month, had begun working in a small portion in the Chandka Medical College (CMC). He had requested the Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah to release the seed money during a meeting in Karachi. Consequently, the CM asked the finance and health secretaries to release the amount.

The secretariat was supposed to be established in the vacant hostel-4 of the CMC but would be delayed for want of money.

The federal government had earmarked Rs300 million in the current financial year for the university, said Prof Sikandar Shaikh.

The Sindh government's failure in finalising the location for university's key structure had slowed the progress.

The Academic Council of the CMC had agreed to purchase 220 acres on Larkana-Karachi road and the Revenue Department had conducted a detailed survey of the land.

Meanwhile, the district government floated another idea of establishing the university on Airport Road near Arija on 60 acres of forest land which would be too small a space for the project, said the sources.

The delay in releasing seed money and land procurement had pushed back the whole project.

The federal government had allocated Rs1094.750 million under the PSDP in the current financial year for establishing women medical university in Nawabshah, which the Sindh government also approved.

Registrar Prof Dr Sikandar Mughal and Controller of Examinations Prof Saifullah Jamro received their training from the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), said the Vice Chancellor.

It was decided that the LUMHS Jamshoro would conduct examinations of the constituent college of the Larkana university till December 31, 2009 and the university would conduct examinations independently from January next.

The SBBMU had started building its MCQ bank for the coming examinations.

It was further learnt that the Vice Chancellor had requested President Asif Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari chairman of PPP for laying foundation stone of the SBBMU.

The seed money and the amount for purchasing land were urgently required for the progress of project.