Mega-projects in Karachi: Sindh govt releases Rs1.62bn
Sindh government released Rs1.62 billion under the head of mega-projects in Karachi by the end of first week of June against the total allocation of Rs1.94 billion in the budget of current fiscal year. The utilization of funds stood at Rs1.22 billion, which is 63 percent of the total allocation and 74 percent of the amount released so far.
The latest figures of the provincial government suggested that released amount is 85 percent of the total allocation. Sindh government allocated the funds with a separate head “mega development projects of Karachi” but the amount for it was meager in view of the population size of the city.
The funds utilization improved in the third and ongoing last quarters of the fiscal year, which was slow at the beginning of the financial year. The budget execution report of Sindh government for the period under review stated that the entire allocation of Rs 1.94 billion has been made for 18 ongoing development schemes – the projects which had been approved in the previous budgets – and one new scheme for which a paltry sum of Rs9 million has been allocated.
The new “mega-scheme for Karachi” relates to providing and fixing of traffic lights, gantries and signboards and carrying out of the rehabilitation/beautification of roads as city is facing massive infrastructure problems, which has been causing troubles to citizens of Karachi. The ongoing schemes include construction of a U-turn at Natha Khan Bridge, construction of an underpass at the Submarine Chowrangi, rehabilitation and improvement of Karachi Zoo, construction of a road from Tank Chowrangi to the Super Highway, and construction of a flyover at the Tipu Sultan intersection, etc.
Besides, it includes the widening and reconstruction of the Stadium Road, rehabilitation and improvement of roads in surrounding areas of Lea Market, widening of the bridge over Orangi Nullah near the Habib Bank Chowrangi, construction of an SWD from the Star Gate to Chakora Nullah on Shahrah-e-Faisal and reconstruction and rehabilitation of a road from the Jam Sadiq Bridge to Dawood Chowrangi.