By By Umar Cheema
Other development plans with estimated cost of three billion rupees are besides this grant and there is no foreign funding for these projects except for one. Interestingly, the districts declared by Planning Division document as less developed in southern Punjab —- Layyah, Rajanpur, Muzzafgarh and Lodhran —- have got nothing from the PSDP.
Even the amount for the People’s Programme, the PPP government’s flagship project, is less than the grant pledged for Multan, according to a list of grants pledged by the PM/president. The Multan Package is also in contrast with the pledged Swat Development Package, which is only of one billion rupees, Larkana Package of Rs 1.5 billion, Dera Bugti Package of Rs 3.64 billion, and Kohlu Development Package Rs 1.71 billion.
A Planning Division document in the possession of The News discloses that southern Punjab Package comprises 29 projects, 27 of them are directly related to Multan and the 95 per cent of the total estimated cost of the whole package will be consumed there. Only two of the 29 projects are meant for the rest of the southern Punjab but there too Multan will benefit from them.
Out of 27 Multan-related projects, 18 are for Multan city with an estimated cost of over Rs 18 billion and nine projects are for the entire district with the equivalent estimated cost of Rs 18 billion. Two projects for the entire southern Punjab have estimated cost of two billion rupees.
Asked to comment, the prime minister’s spokesman referred this scribe to the PM Special Secretary who said the PSDP had nothing to do with the PM. He further referred to the Planning Division for details on the projects. A spokesman of the division did not contest the list available with The News. “You already have the list so there is no point of contention.” But he said the list contained all the projects — approved and those awaiting approval.
Asked why the projects focus only on Multan and not on other districts of southern Punjab, he said: “We’re working to bring projects for other districts also.”
Half an hour after this correspondent talked to these officials, the Press Information Department sent an official handout quoting sources, “an important meeting of Central Development Working Party is expected to be held on November 19, 2009 and will consider for approval a number of development projects. Special priority will be assigned to development of less developed areas,” it said.
Multan related projects are mentioned in the following document available with The News (estimated cost in millions): “Construction of inner ring road Multan (Rs 3,000m), grid station (Rs1228m), widening improvement of N-5 from Bahawalpur Chowk to Chowk Kumharan (Rs 962.9m, foreign funding of Rs6,761.7m is not included), construction of bridge over the River Sutlej at Emanwala (Rs1,147.8m), upgrading of 45-km-long Jalalpur-Pirwala-Uch section of Multan-Trinda Muhmand Pannah Road (Rs 2,281.3m), construction of high level bridge over the River Chenab at Head Muhmand Wala, district Multan (Rs 2,376 m), construction of new ‘D’ class railway station at New Multan City (Rs39.80m), construction of northern bypass for Multan city (Rs1,500 m), southern bypass (Rs1,569m), construction of Bosan Road from Chungi No 9 to Bahauddin Zakria University (Rs. 910.9 m), construction/improvement of road with railway bridge from Chandiala Emanabad via Morr Emanabad (Rs100m), establishment of cadet college in Multan (Rs410 m), 10 sewerage schemes by WASA (Rs 2,817m), construction of road from Jinnah Chowk to Chowk Bahawalpur in Multan (Rs962.9m), water supply and drainage schemes for rural areas of Multan (Rs735 m), six sewerage schemes by WASA (Rs 3,000 m), development of six low income housing schemes in Multan (Rs1,206m), provision of machinery for solid waste management (Rs406m), upgrading of cancer treatment facility at Nishtar Hospital (Rs397.8m), upgrading/renovation of existing Qasim Bagh Football Stadium (Rs 358.9m), Architectural & Computer Engineering Department of Bahauddin Zakariya University (Rs300m), Faculty of Veterinary Science of Bahauddin Zakariya University (Rs350m), Agricultural Engineering, Bahauddin Zakariya University (Rs275m), telecommunication system, Bahauddin Zakariya University (Rs72 m), establishment of women university in Multan (Rs1,100 m), and establishment of Gilani Law College at Bahauddin Zakariya University (Rs346.3m).
Two projects for the entire south Punjab are: Drainage of irrigation water southern Punjab (Rs1,500 m) and renovation and preservation of historical monuments in southern Punjab (Rs500m).