KARACHI, Oct 9: Sindh governor, Muhammedmian Soomro, on Tuesday in a meeting reviewed the ongoing projects of highways and roads, the schemes under the Asian Development Bank and other foreign aid projects in this regard.

The meeting was informed that during the fiscal year 2000- 2001 Rs687 million were released against the allocation of Rs800 million.

For the current fiscal year 2001-2002, Rs1220 million have been allocated for 302 schemes in the road sector. About 200 Km roads are proposed to be improved and 475 Km roads are to be constructed. Out of 1220 million, 254.81 million are allocated as share of foreign aided projects.

A number of foreign aided projects, besides the Sindh road sector development project, will be taken in hand at a cost of Rs14 billion.

Two provincial highways - Sujawal-Badin and Mirpurkhas- Mirwah, have been completed under the A.D.P-assisted programme by two Chinese firms.

For the rural access roads project, a loan agreement was signed between GOP and ADB in 1996 on cost sharing basis with ADB share of 73 percent and GOS share of 27 percent. This involves construction of 400 Km of roads in different districts, costing Rs 1603 million.

The work started in July 97 and is expected to end by December 2001. Till June 2001, 99 percent of work involving 352 Km of roads had been completed.

The Japanese-assisted rural roads construction on cost- sharing basis with 7 percent share of the government of Pakistan and 93 percent of OCEF was signed in August 1994 for construction of 143 Km of rural roads in eleven districts of Sindh at a cost of Rs750.36 millions.

The construction was commenced in December 1996 and would end by August 2001. Till June 2001, 136 Km of roads had been completed along with 2 out of four pre-stressed bridges.

To carry out maintenance and repair programme, an amount of Rs321 million was allocated in the 2000-2001 budget against which an amount of Rs160 million was released.—APP