HYDERABAD, July 27: Disproportionate allocation of funds from the Annual Development Programme 2004-5 for schemes in urban and rural areas by the district government's finance and planning section has led to a delay in presentation of budget , inquiries by this correspondent have revealed.

Finance and planning section sources said that Rs537 million ADP funds for the district had been allocated by the provincial government. They said that some of the district council members did not understand budgetary allocations which had caused the delay.

District Nazim Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman, Naib Nazim Nawab Rashid Ali Khan and finance and planning EDO Syed Sikandar Shah had held meeting with a five-member budget committee to discuss budgetary estimates on Sunday so that any confusion could be cleared before budget was presented in the council session.

In the meeting, the sources said, the committee members insisted on allocations of funds on 60-40 per cent basis for rural and urban areas. They claimed that the budget was prepared on need basis and not on urban-rural basis.

The sources said that the committee members argued that there was some disparity in allocations of funds for schemes and most of ongoing schemes had not been approved by the finance and planning section.

In all there are 54 schemes ongoing and new schemes. As per break-up, the rural areas' ongoing schemes are 38 against 12 of urban areas whereas there is no new scheme for rural areas against four in urban areas.

The members said that Rs421.697 million had been allocated for old schemes against Rs118.727 million for new and old schemes in urban areas. Sources said that the district government realised that the budget presentation had been unnecessarily delayed. Another meeting is scheduled for Wednesday to sort out the issue.