HYDERABAD, Jan 5: Once again development schemes in the district to be executed under its annual development programme have been jeopardized following transfer of funds under components of the ADP and salary in the government's bank account-1 instead of account-4 which is non-lapsable.

District government sources told this correspondent that the Sindh finance department had issued directives to the district government to utilize Rs60 million, unused in 2003-4, for salary head which meant that it could not be utilized for development works of Rs1.3 million in each union council.

The district government received savings of Rs120 million at the close of last fiscal year for which the district nazim has announced the schemes. Of this amount, Rs70 million have been utilized.

The district council members are putting pressure on the district government to ensure completion of the works on priority basis before their tenure is over or proposed bifurcation of Hyderabad district is announced which will lead to dismissal of the nazim. The members fear that in both the cases, the works would remain incomplete.

In 2004-5 budgetary allocations, the district government's finance and planning department allocated Rs254 million for district development programme (DDP) as part of the district's ADP. The amount was to be spent on the ongoing schemes, UC nazims' schemes, urban development programme and schemes of sugarcane cess.

The department based the funding of the DDP on revalidation of Rs82 million of the ADP, which had lapsed in 2003-4, and expected receipts of Rs306.5 million from the provincial government as the district's share under the new National Finance Commission award.

However, it was learnt that neither the provincial government was going to revalidate Rs82 million of the ADP nor there seemed to be a hope for release of the NFC share.

Out of one line budget of Rs3165 million of the district government, the provincial finance department is releasing allocations for non-salary component in non-lapsable account-4 of whereas other receipts are being transferred in lapsable account-1 which is operated by the provincial government.

Sources pointed out that if there was a saving in this account, it would be returned to the Sindh government while receipts of account-4 under non-salary component were insufficient to meet miscellaneous expenses.