HYDERABAD, March 25 Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has expressed his inability to release 10 per cent of enhanced funds for Hyderabad Development Project as committed by President Asif Ali Zardari to the Hyderabad district nazim.

“We are working on it and have spoken to finance secretary but legal provisions don`t allow us to release the same. If we release it for Hyderabad then why not to other districts,” he said.

He was addressing a news conference here at circuit house after addressing a meting of the PPP`s divisional chapter in connection with April 4 death anniversary of Z.A. Bhutto.

He added that federal government has to release Rs3 billion out of its share for Hyderabad Development Package (HDP) for which Sindh government has released all of its committed funds under HDP. “We are trying to get Rs3 billion from central government”, he said.

Mr Shah said that he had contacted his counterpart in Balochistan to get an explanation regarding adoption of a resolution in Balochistan Assembly against PPP`s coalition partner MQM and expressed the hope that it would be accordingly explained.

That`s why, he said, MQM didn`t press resolution in Sindh Assembly on Tuesday. He said that different tactics are employed by certain forces or elements which don`t want to see a democratic government and to pit different communities against each other.

“We view it (passage of resolution) seriously and want a solution of the same as well. I have talked to Nawab Aslam Raisani in the morning and he had talked to London (Altaf Hussain). He said that there are people who wanted to create differences.

Regarding statement of Federal Water and Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, he said that the minister had himself clarified at a press conference in Karachi that he sticks to his earlier statement that the dam wouldn`t be constructed.

“He (water minister) did say that Bhasha Dam is being considered because signals are coming for foreign investment”, the chief minister said. He added there is a consensus among president, prime minister, government and federal cabinet that Kalabgh Dam wouldn`t be built though a future government might make it a slogan.

He said that regarding Thar Coal a letter of intent has been issued a to firm regarding project.

He said that incidents of throwing of locally-made petrol bombs on certain shops were being investigated as government is committed to well-being of people regardless of language they speak. He said that an inquiry was already under way.

About paddy`s procurement, he said that government had decided to set-up 200 centres in next two days throughout Sindh for procuring paddy that has been destroyed in rains. He said that Irri-6 would be purchased as per previously announced rate of Rs700 while paddy affected by rain would be obtained at Rs1000-Rs1200. He said that bumper crop was recorded last year and 2.5 million tons of production was expected but rains had destroyed the crop. “This shows our commitment with peasants and labourers”, he said.

He said that an official of Passco and a BPS-17 official of agriculture department would be present at the centre for which committees headed by DCOs and DDOs had been formed to oversee procurement process. He said that delay in procurement had caused disappointment and resentment among growers.

He said that unprecedented wheat crop is produced and government is ready to procure entire crop at Rs950 per 40 kg. He urged growers not to sell wheat to traders who were approaching them.

He clarified that inter-district movement of what had not been banned and ban is imposed only on inter-provincial movement so that its not smuggled to Afghanistan or India.

He expected that Sindh government would procure one million tons or more wheat keeping in view the requirement of the province.

He rejected charges of PML-N Punjab leaders that 500 people in police uniforms were sent to Punjab to disrupt PML-N`s public meeting.

He disagreed with a questioner that law and order situation is deteriorating in Sindh.

He said that only two kidnap victims are to be recovered.