• Rs12.52bn allocated for 20 ongoing schemes in city
• CM’s budget speech has no mention of K-IV, S-III projects
• Rs10bn earmarked for Sindh Intra-District Peoples Bus Service

KARACHI: The government of Pakistan Peoples Party in Sindh has not announced any mega development package for the country’s commercial capital in its last budget for the financial year 2023-24 despite the fact that civic infrastructure from upscale districts to low-income neighbourhoods has been in shambles and needs immediate overhaul, it emerged on Saturday.

Presenting the budget in the Sindh Assembly session, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said estimates for development expenditure for financial year 2023-24 had been proposed to be Rs689.60 billion, including Rs380.5bn for provincial annual development programme (ADP).

Budget books show Karachi got no ‘new’ development project in the head of Sindh government’s “Mega Schemes for Karachi City” in the ADP 2023-24.

This appears to be unprecedented as in the outgoing budget 2022-23, the Sindh government had allocated Rs3.1bn for six new mega schemes, while during the Covid-19 pandemic when the provincial government had faced an enormous healthcare challenge, it did give one new scheme in its budget for financial year 2020-21.

However, an amount of Rs12.52bn has been allocated in the budget 2023-24 for 20 ongoing schemes; of them an amount of Rs9.12bn had already been spent by the end of the outgoing fiscal year 2022-23.

The budget document says the project of rehabilitation/reconstruction of Shahrah-i-Noor Jehan was approved in Aug 2021 and an amount of Rs2.06bn had been allocated in the next fiscal year.

Likewise, the project of construction of a flyover and underpass at Johar Chowrangi was approved in 2021 and an amount of Rs2.17bn was allocated for its completion in the next fiscal year.

A whopping Rs3bn has been allocated for the construction of Korangi Causeway, which was approved in November 2022 with an estimated cost of Rs4.67bn. The estimated completion date of the project is June 2025.

The government has allocated Rs874.9 million for another scheme — repair/rehabilitation of storm water drains phase-II which was approved in February 2023 — during the financial year 2023-24.

For other ongoing schemes, a sum of Rs633.5m has been allocated for reconstruction/rehabilitation of Chakiwara Road, Mehrab Khan Essa Road and Tennery Road, Lyari; Rs338.4m for reconstruction of Syed Raees Ahmad Jafri Road from Peoples Chowrangi up to Rashid Minhas Road; Rs124.9m for rehabilitation of Nehar-i-Khayam in district South; Rs220.45m allocated for construction of dual carriageway road from Nasir Brohi Hotel to Mubarak Village in district Keamari; Rs599.7m for construction of Sport Complex at Bakhtiari Youth Centre in district Central; Rs74.9m for construction/rehabilitation of main roads/streets paver block in Sachal Goth in district East; Rs61.6m for repair/rehabilitation of existing drain/sewerage system in Manzoor Colony, district East; Rs412.7m has been earmarked for rehabilitation/reconstruction of road from Cafe Piyala (near Gulberg Chowrangi) to Rashid Minhas Road (near UBL Sports Complex).

Rs10bn for 500 diesel-hybrid buses

In his budget speech, the CM said that the government had allocated Rs13.4bn in the head of transportation and mass transit budget for financial year 2023-24, which is 92pc more than the allocation of Rs6.9bn in the outgoing fiscal year.

About the Sindh government’s flagship project, the Peoples Bus Service, the CM said that the project was launched in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana with an amount of Rs6.1bn in the outgoing fiscal year to facilitate general public. He said that the service was operating on nine routes in Karachi including 2 electric bus routes.

“As an antidote to hiking fuel and fare prices, a one-time fare subsidy of Rs247m has been provided to the Peoples Bus Service to be passed on to commuters. A provision of Rs2bn has been kept for operations and maintenance of the bus service.

“In Phase-II of the project, a huge allocation of Rs10bn has been kept for inclusion of fleet of 500 diesel-hybrid buses,” he said.

The house was also informed about the government’s plan to establish modern terminals in Karachi, Thatta and Badin in the first phase.

He also spoke about the ongoing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Green and Red lines projects.

It is for the very first time that CM Shah did not mention K-IV Greater Water Supply Scheme and S-III in his budget speech.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2023