KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Thursday echoed with the lawmakers’ demand for schemes of water supply, sanitation and road infrastructure in the forthcoming provincial budget as 35 more members forwarded their suggestions and proposals in the pre-budget discussion.

As many as 86 member of the 168-member House have so far delivered their speeches, most of them highlighting the issues of water shortages, poor sewerage system and dilapidated roads and streets in their respective constituencies.

The treasury members also strongly condemned the proposed establishment of six new canals on the Indus River, saying that the people of Sindh would never accept that controversial scheme.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) member Naeem Kharal called for an allocation of funds for the sewerage scheme in Gambat. He also demanded establishment of schools in the slums of the district.

PPP legislator says federal govt wants to ‘devour’ land of Pakistan Steel Mills

Bilal Jadoon of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed Sunni Ittehad Council said schools in his constituency were in a poor condition. He also demanded a computerised lab for Bolton Market School.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) member Muhammad Daniyal said the pre-budget meeting should have been held for more than five days. He also said that water issue persisted in his constituency and demanded water schemes in the next budget.

PPP’s Raja Abdul Razaq alleged that the federal government wanted to devour thousands of acres of land of the Pakistan Steel Mills.

“If the Sindh government takes over the steel mills itself, we will run it,” he added.

Muttahida’s minority member Mahesh Kumar lauded the provincial government for renovating a crematorium.

He also acknowledged that a lot of work was done for the renovation of worship places of the minorities across the province.

He demanded that the places of worship of the minorities be solarised and the income from wine shops spent on minorities.

SIUT centres at divisional level

Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho on Thursday informed the assembly that the provincial government had decided to make allocations in the next budget for establishing centres of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplant (SIUT) at the divisional level.

She said the members’ demand to establish units of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in every district was not possible.

Taluka hospitals were being upgraded across the province. She said, adding that the repair works of those health facilities would also be completed in two years.

In reply to opposition members’ complaints that there were a few hospitals in Karachi, Dr Pechuho said the provincial government had decided to establish urban health centres across the city.

“We have a health policy being formulated, which will be completed in a month or two,” she said, adding that a provincial healthcare strategy was also being formulated. She said the health department was also working on mental health; many laws had been enacted in the health sector.

The health minister said the Sindh government was trying to establish SIUT units at the divisional level in the province.

She said the provincial government was against health insurance as it was misused. “Insurance companies only make money,” she said.

The health minister said the NICVD director had been instructed to build sheds for attendants. “There are already sheds for attendants in the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre,” she said.

The minister said the 100-bed hospital in Orangi Town had not so far been completed. “It will be completed soon,” she held out an assurance.

Energy Minister Syed Nasir Shah said the development budget of Sindh was bigger that other three provinces.

He said the international institutions such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank had given the most funds to the province as they were satisfied with the performance of the provincial government.

He said there were 87 big development projects being carried out in Karachi, adding that there were around 4,644 uplift schemes for the city.

“As many as 1,777 schemes are those for which full funding has been provided,” he said, adding that 1,200 development plans in the city were about to be completed.

Those who spoke during the pre-budget debate included PPP’s Muhammad Yousuf Baloch, Noor Muhammad Bhargari, Ghulam Qadir Chandio, Farah Shah, Dost Muhammad Rahimo, Ali Ahmed, Makhdoom Fakharuz Zaman, Liaquat Askani, Nida Khuhro; MQM-P’s Moiz Mehboob, Fouzia Hameed, Adil Askari and Muhammad Daniyal, and PTI’s Sajjid Hussain.

Later, the House was adjourned to Friday at 10am.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2025