KARACHI, July 22: In the absence of an elected local government system in the province, a huge amount of Rs1.5 billion, which was part of over Rs10 billion special packages for five cities and four parts of Karachi, remained unutilised despite the fact that the provincial government had released over Rs7.8 billion during the last financial year, it emerged on Sunday.

The Sindh government had given over Rs10 billion special packages for Karachi, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana, Lyari, Malir, Keamari, Karachi Underdeveloped Area and Sukkur in the budget 2011-12.

While the provincial government had released over Rs7.8 billion under the head of special packages, bureaucrats running the affairs of local governments for the last over two years failed to utilise the full amount apparently due to their incapability.

Sources said that in the absence of the LG system in the province, the bureaucracy appeared reluctant to implement the development schemes for various reasons.

Had there been a local government system in place, the amount of Rs1.5 billion could have been utilised as elected area representatives had initiated development schemes for the people’s betterment, said an official.

According to a report, the government had released Rs1.266 billion for the ongoing and new development schemes of Karachi. However, only Rs520.561 million was utilised by March 2012 under the head of the ongoing schemes.

Out of the six new schemes costing Rs2.458 billion only one scheme costing Rs802 million was authenticated by the department against which Rs125 million was released but during the period not a single penny could be spent on it.

On the Lyari development package, Rs790 million was allocated, including Rs115 million for the ongoing schemes, only Rs47.302 million was spent, while Rs611.229 million, released against the new scheme, was not utilised during the nine months of the last financial year.

For the Malir package, Rs500 million was allocated for a new scheme, but only Rs47.380 million was used.

For the Keamari package, Rs800 million was allocated, including Rs489.500 million for the ongoing schemes. An amount of Rs464.9 million was released for the ongoing schemes, but only Rs272.412 million was utilised. Similarly, of Rs310.500 million, Rs308.299 million was released but the work on the scheme could not be started.

An amount of Rs50 million was allocated for the ongoing schemes of the Karachi Underdeveloped Area package and Rs49.395 million was utilised.

However, out of the Rs50 million allocated for new development scheme, Rs30.5 million was utilised.For the Karachi East package, Rs100 million was allocated for the ongoing scheme, which was also released but only Rs59.408 million was utilised.

For the Hyderabad development special package, Rs999.8 million was allocated, including Rs379 million for the ongoing schemes, but only Rs63.745 was utilised. Similarly, of the Rs620.800 million allocated for new schemes, Rs547.445 was released but only Rs127.845 million was utilised.

In the Shaheed Benazirabad package, there were four specific schemes for which a total of Rs2.049 billion was allocated, including Rs472.242 million for revised schemes, Rs216.888 million for education, Rs56.353 million for the ongoing uplift schemes and Rs1.304 billion for new schemes.

An amount of Rs222.242 million was released in the head of a revised scheme, but only Rs68.792 was utilised. Similarly, Rs216.888 million was allocated for education-related schemes, but only Rs56.519 million was utilised.

Out of Rs56.355 million, which was for the previous year’s development scheme, only Rs10.688 was utilised.

For new schemes, Rs1.304 billion was allocated under the special package and Rs1.234 million was released, but during the period not a single penny could be utilised.

In the Larkana development package, Rs2 billion was allocated and despite release of Rs1.064 billion, work on no scheme could be initiated as all funds remained unutilised.

Sukkur was given a special development package for the first time with the allocation of Rs700 million. Here, only Rs115.707 was utilised against the released amount of Rs683.378 million.