HYDERABAD, April 5: The formula for distribution of funds under the Hyderabad Development Package needs to be modified following division of Hyderabad into four districts, inquiries from district government officials revealed on Tuesday. However, two packages – governor’s Rs500 million package and Rs120 million package for improvement of the water supply system – will remain unaffected because these are Hyderabad city-specific. The cost of the Hyderabad package has been revised from Rs10.5 billion to Rs14.5 billion. However, work on the project has not been initiated for want of a permanent project director. The post of the project director has been re-advertised as per decision of the package’s working committee.

The project covers the entire defunct Hyderabad district. The district government had planned different schemes of roads, sewerage, drainage, water supply, gas and electricity provision. Sewerage, drainage and flyovers were city-specific schemes and gas and electricity supply and construction of roads meant for rural areas.

The district government had devised a plan for utilization of the funds, fixing Rs7,500 million for various development schemes of Hyderabad, Latifabad and Qasimabad talukas, including the cantonment area. It had earmarked Rs895.526 million for development of Tando Allahyar (now a district), Rs648.228 million for Tando Mohammad Khan (a new district), Rs538.715 million for the Hyderabad taluka (rural), Rs476.143 million for Matiari (a new district) and Rs441.338 million for Hala.

Priority had been given to the Hyderabad master plan, improvement of sewerage, water supply and drainage systems, solid waste management, road sector, beautification/ environmental uplift, traffic emergency and electricity and gas supply.

Finance department sources said Rs3 billion of the Rs10.5 billion package had been earmarked for provision of gas and electricity and construction of roads in Matiari, Hala, Tando Allahyar, Tando Mohammad Khan and the Hyderabad taluka (rural). They said the rest was to be spent in City, Latifabad and Qasimabad talukas, mainly on sewerage, drainage, water supply, filter plant, flyovers and roads.

Officials said the district nazim had proposed that Rs3 billion should be spent equally in 61 union councils of the five talukas.

However, composition of the Hyderabad district has now changed and the Sindh government has to modify the formula for expenditure of the funds.

The Sindh government had also allocated Rs1 billion in its fiscal budget for the Hyderabad package and a matching grant was to be given by the Centre as per directives of the president.

The governor’s Rs500 million package is being executed through the DCO who is the project director. Another package of Rs120 million, meant for City, Latifabad and Qasimabad talukas, was announced by the Sindh governor after the city was hit by water crisis in last May, leading to deaths of at least 42 people due to consumption of contaminated water.

As far as the district government’s budgetary allocations are concerned, sources said almost 95 per cent funds, including those for development purpose, had been released by the Sindh finance department.

DIVISION: Massive paraphernalia is required for running the three new districts as details are not available who will be looking after the newly-carved districts.

Besides filling other posts, DPO, DCO and EDOs of different departments need to be appointed. The district nazim could not be contacted in Hyderabad because he had gone to Karachi.