HYDERABAD, July 29: Sindh Minister for Local Government, Katchi Abadis and Rural Development Mohammad Hussain has said that Rs3 billion has been earmarked by the Sindh government during current financial year to for water supply and drainage projects at taluka level.

He was speaking at a meeting with the nazims of Hyderabad district at the office of the district nazim. The minister said that since his ministry was striving to solve the problems of immediate nature, he had submitted a municipal services improvement project costing Rs793 million to ensure efficient municipal deliveries to the people of the province.

Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Minister for Planning and Development Shoaib Bukhari said that the provincial government had pooled development funds to strengthen local government system but made it clear that until and unless taluka municipal administrations (TMAs) enhanced their tax net, problems of the people could not be solved.

He advised the TMAs not to fully depend on district and provincial governments but to initiate fund generating activities and conduct joint survey with excise and taxation department to identify new areas for taxation and plug shortcomings, irregularities and breaches in tax collection.

He directed the TMAs to establish planning and development sections and fix priorities and targets according to the needs of the people before drafting annual development plans. He said that attention should be paid to solving problems of immediate nature and ensuring visible development.

Hyderabad District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil said that the district government was utilizing Hyderabad Development Package funds according to allocation of each area. He said that under the HDP, priority had been given to water supply and drainage works in the urban areas and the laying of communication network and provision of gas and electricity in the rural areas.

Speaking at another meeting of the officers of different departments of his ministry, Mr Hussain said that over the past five years, Rs50 billion had been spent on provision of basic amenities to the people of Sindh without any discrimination.

He claimed that it could be proved from the record which showed that more funds had been spent on rural areas of Sindh as compared to urban areas due to the criterion of backwardness.

Housing schemes

Referring to unauthorised housing schemes in different cities and towns of Sindh, the minister said that a cell had been established in the local government ministry to curb such activities and the directorate of town planning had been empowered to take action against illegal housing schemes.

He said that henceforth NOC from concerned TMA would be compulsory for execution of any mega project in its jurisdiction. He asked the TMAs to prepare layout plan for regularization of katchi abadis in their jurisdiction.

He said that six mega development projects, two each in Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Nawabshah districts, had been launched at a cost of Rs2,497.37 million to improve water supply and drainage systems.

The Sindh minister for planning and development warned that those organizations which were not able to fully utilize funds would lose their share of development funds in future.

Mr Bukhari admitted that there was still a room for improvement to expedite the pace of development work of HDP and ADP in Hyderabad. He said that funds were not a problem but proper utilisation of funds was the main obstacle with the executing agencies.

Mr Jamil said that though the district government had been facing delay in release of funds and unexpected calamities, it had utilized its allocated funds within stipulated time.

Hyderabad DCO Aftab Ahmed Khatri, Hyderabad Development Authority Director-General Altaf Hussain Memon, Public Health Engineering Director-General Mohammad Siddiq Jalalani, Katchi Abadi Authority Director-General Ali Ahmed Lund, Water and Sanitation Authority Managing Director Abdul Malik Khatri, the taluka municipal officers and others attending the meeting.