KARACHI: As the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) completes its third term of governance in Sindh, the province is still grappling with numerous incomplete projects that were promised in successive budgets but have yet to see significant progress or completion.
One prominent example is the Karachi Circular Railway, which has been announced on seven separate occasions but is still far from completion.
The ambitious Benazir Accident and Trauma Center in Razzaqabad, Karachi, designed to accommodate 1000 beds, remains unfinished.
Additionally, the Bilawal Bhutto Engineering College Scheme in Lyari has been stuck in paperwork without any tangible advancement.
The K-4 and S-3 mega projects, crucial for water supply and drainage, have made little headway.
K-4, the largest water supply scheme in Karachi with a budget allocation of Rs. 1.2475 billion, has yet to see any expenditure in the current year.
Moreover, the promise of transforming Garhi Khuda Baksh into a model town remains a distant dream.
According to details, the Sindh government has not effectively utilized the development budget, with only 31% of the allocated funds spent within the first nine months of the fiscal year 2022-23.
Out of the allocated Rs. 6,586 million for the development of Karachi, only Rs. 4,272 million have been utilized.
By the end of the third quarter of the financial year 2022-23, only Rs. 108 billion had been disbursed from the total budget of Rs276 billion.
The Department of Agriculture’s development funds saw a 61% utilization rate, while the irrigation department’s schemes received 74% of their allocated funds.
Furthermore, the leading project on Shahrah Noorjahan, the Noorjahan Highway, estimated to be completed by June 2023, still requires completion with only Rs. 750 million spent out of the total cost of Rs. 1,303 million.
The Johar Chowrangi underpass, slated for completion within the current fiscal year, also remains unfinished.
Besides, the Sindh Local Government Department allocated a budget of Rs. 1.1 billion for the uplift of Gujjar Nullah during the three quarters of 2022-23, has yet to spend a single rupee from the allocated sum.
Moreover, the Allama Iqbal Park uplift project in Federal B Area received only Rs. 123 million out of the proposed cost of Rs. 250 million.
Similarly, the Mahmoudabad Flyover scheme, with an allocated budget of Rs. 270 million, has seen no utilization of funds.
In addition, the Rural Development Department failed to spend the released Rs. 300 million for buying solar lights.
Source: Tribune
