LARKANA, Feb 28: A project of planting 100,00 Neem trees in Larkana has run into snags because funds for the plan have not been delivered to the district government yet.

The department of planning and development floated a summery to the chief minister for approving the scheme and proposed its inclusion in the ADP 2010-11 and subsequently funding from the Larkana package or as per directives of the Sindh chief minister.

The Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) approved the project in its meeting on Nov 25, 2010, and the district government of Larkana was entrusted to execute the project in three phases from 2010 to 2013 with the cost of Rs53.601 million.

The divisional forest officer of Larkana issued a cheque No.111363 on Jan 26, 2011, in favour of district coordination officer for Rs230,650 million.

The district officer forest in his letter on Jan 3, 2011, to the divisional forest officer, afforestation division, said that the district accounts officer of Larkana bouncing the cheque raised two objections: funds were not available with the afforestation division of Larkana and that the specimen signatures of the divisional forest officer were also required.

After this, one year has passed, but directives of the president were not implemented.

When contacted, District Coordination Officer Larkana Aleem Lashari told Dawn that after the cheque had been bounced, he wrote to the secretary forests and wildlife department on Feb 14, 2011, saying that instead of the conservator of forest, afforestation circle of Larkana, the cheque had been issued by the divisional forest officer and the amount was not made available by the auditor-general of Sindh.

The DCO had requested the secretary forests for timely intervention so that the directives of the president could be implemented.

The DCO said that hindrances would delay the project and spring tree plantation season 2011 would pass. He called for timely transferring the approved amount to the district government of Larkana to undertake the project.