DADU, June 5: The Dadu district administration has not utilized a fund of Rs562 million, allocated for development schemes in the district during the current financial year.
Executive engineers of roads, education works and buildings departments have not issued tenders of the schemes as yet, this correspondent has learnt.
The district has used only Rs60 million out of Rs392 million, released by the federal government for drought-affected areas of Dadu under the Drought Emergency Relief Assistance programme. No scheme of basic facilities in the Kachho area has been undertaken.
A fund of Rs20 million of the Annual Development Programme, Rs30 million of the Khushhal Pakistan Programme, Rs50 million of MNAs and MPAs quota schemes and Rs26 million of water supply schemes of the Sehwan town are also yet to be utilized.
The education department received Rs5.4 million for purchasing furniture and books for schools but the same have not been provided to the schools.
When contacted, People’s Party Parliamentarians MNA Rafiq Ahmad Jamali said officers of the works department had not used development funds in PPP strongholds in remote areas of the Dadu district.
He said corrupt officers were posted in the roads, buildings and education works departments on political basis. He held the officers responsible for non-utilization of the funds.
Dadu Nazim Nasir Ahmad Shaikh said bureaucrats did not initiate uplift works for they were trying to fail the devolution plan.
He said owing to negligence of district officers, development schemes were not provided to remote areas of the district.
DCO Aijaz Mangi, who is the project director of development schemes, claimed that development funds would not lapse and all the funds would be utilized by June 30.
EIGHT FREED: Eight land owners were released on Thursday by the civil judge of Johi from the custody of the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) in a raid in Johi.
They were arrested by ZTBL officers in default cases on Wednesday.
On receiving complaints about illegal detention of the eight persons, the civil judge Johi along with a heavy contingent of the police and the first class magistrate conducted a raid in Johi and found Mohammad Soomar Leghari, Mohammad Rahim Leghari, Shamsuddin Leghari, Mohammad Hassan Khichi, Khamiso Khan Lund, Nizamuddin Rodhnani, Ata Mohammad Rodhnani, and Mohammad Khan Jamali in detention.
When contacted by this correspondent, the manager, ZTBL, Johi branch, Ahmad Khan Birhamani, said the land owners were arrested after serving notices on them under section 81, 82 of the Land Revenue Act and after issuing arrest warrants for defaulting millions of rupees.
He claimed that they were arrested legally and were brought to the ZTBL. He said he had sent a letter to keep them at the Dadu district jail. He said the bank officers were trying to take them to the district jail but the civil judge and the FCM released them from their custody. He said the ZTBL would proceed against this action in the court of law.