KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday hinted at presenting the new budget for fiscal year 2018-19 — the last budget of the Pakistan Peoples Party government — in the assembly on May 5 so that it could be passed by May 15.

Mr Shah presided over a meeting of the Sindh cabinet which also expressed concerns over prolonged loadshedding in the province and urged the federal government “to have mercy on the people of Sindh” and stop loadshedding in this sweltering weather.

The cabinet also took up the Sindh Universities and Institutes Law (Amendment) Bill 2018, which was referred back to the house by Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair for reconsideration.

The cabinet expressed reservations on the language the governor had used in his observations for referring it back to the assembly.

It was pointed out that the conduct of the governor could not be discussed in the assembly. Since the chief minister was an elected representative and answerable to the assembly, therefore, he had been given the powers of appointing vice chancellors through a search committee and a proper procedure had been worked out in the draft law to remove a vice chancellor in case of serious allegations proved against him through an inquiry committee.

Sindh cabinet approves draft universities bill

The cabinet approved the draft after adding some other recommendations and directed the secretary of universities and boards to get it vetted from the law department and, with the approval of the chief minister, send it to the assembly for reconsideration.

The cabinet was told that Prosecutor General Shahadat Awan had resigned due to personal reasons.

The cabinet approved the appointment of Dr Syed Fiaz ul Hassan Shah as new prosecutor general and directed the chief secretary to issue a notification to this effect.

The cabinet also approved amendment in the West Pakistan Highways Ordinance, 1959. Now the new draft law would be called The West Pakistan Highways (Sindh Amendment) Act 2018.

The cabinet also expressed concerns that the federal government was reluctant in naming the new international airport constructed in Islamabad after slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The cabinet urged the federal government to name the airport after her.

LG dept told to complete schemes by May 15

The chief minister directed the local government department to expedite completion of ongoing development schemes launched under the Karachi package by May 15.

The chief minister said this while chairing a meeting to review the Karachi package projects here at the CM House after visiting the Submarine Chowrangi underpass and Sunset Boulevard flyover.

The meeting was attended by LG Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Planning and Development chairman Mohammad Waseem, principal secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Karachi package project director Niaz Soomro and others.

The CM, who personally inspected the underpass and flyover projects, expressed his displeasure over slow pace of work on Sunset Boulevard and directed Mr Soomro to get it done as soon as possible.

Minister Shoro told the chief minister that the schemes of construction of bridge at intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Gizri Boulevard had been launched on Sept 19, 2017 with an estimated cost of Rs662.530 million and the physical progress of the bridge is about 50 per cent.

The chief minister asked Mr Shoro to ensure the project would open for traffic on May 10.

The chief minister directed the LG minister to personally monitor the progress of construction of road from Fawwara Chowk to Garden via Abdullah Haroon Road and back to Fawwara Chowk via Zaibunnisa Road and open it for public on May 13.

Talking about construction of roads at Cantt Railway Station, the chief minister said that he had also visited the project personally and found that around 55pc work had been completed. “I am going to open it for traffic on May 25, therefore it should be completed accordingly,” he said.

Mr Shoro also briefed the chief minister about development projects relating to 2000 Road in Landhi and Tipu Sultan Road from Sharea Faisal to Karsaz.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2018