Ministries under fire for ignoring uplift of Balochistan, KP

ISLAMABAD: The Ministries of Finance and Planning Commission Monday faced criticism from senators, belonging to Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southern Punjab for making small allocations and then delaying release of funds for development projects there.

Criticism was heaped upon the ministries here at a meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas, which was presided over by its Chairman Senator Muhammad Usman Kakar of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party.

It was emphasised that development of the less developed and backward areas was the constitutional obligation of the state and the government, which they were not fulfilling and hence resorting to constitutional violation. 

The issue of release of Rs27,000 million funds in 2014 against unapproved development projects surprised many during the committee meeting. The ministries were asked to give details of the funds release and senators also wanted how and why these releases were made despite the fact the projects and schemes were never approved.

Kakar said that the less developed areas were being kept as such deliberately and pointed out that backward areas in Balochistan and the tribal areas were given lesser developmental projects and then funds release was delayed on purpose, ultimately leading to increase in their costs manifold.

He pointed out that for 100 small dams in Balochistan, a paltry amount had been allocated in the budget and if this trend continued, these dams might not be built even in next 500 years.

Senator Kakar noted that in Public Sector Development Programme for 2015-2016, against 263 projects, just Rs. 4639 million had been allocated, which indicated these would be completed in many years at much higher costs.

The officials of the two ministries, on this occasion, noted that in many projects in the provinces, the Centre could do nothing, as small uplift projects were the responsibility of the federating units. He pointed out that projects such as those relating to water and power and infrastructure were the domain of the federation.

They noted that funds were released for projects, which had been completed over 70 percent and directions had been already issued that projects with token allocations, should not be started.

The committee chairman called for production of complete details of the projects province and district-wise be shared with the panel in the next meeting. He noted that water and power were Balochistan’s two major problems but the allocations for the related projects were abysmally low.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Senator, Nisar Muhammad, from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, pinpointed glaring disparity in allocation of funds and said that funds allocated for 22 districts of his provinces were being spent in just one district. He added in one district, projects worth Rs. 1.5 billion were under way while in ten other districts, not even projects, costing Rs. 20 million were being initiated.

Nisar noted that Munda dam project was a big initiative for electricity generation, drinking water and irrigation purposes but funds were not being duly released for it.  The Balochistan National Party’s Senator Dr. Jehanzeb Jamaldeni, laid emphasis on paying attention to building of more and more dams in Balochistan, as people were forced to migrating due to non-availability of water.

Senator Kakar said that funds must be immediately released for construction of Muslim Bagh Information Technology University and Sibbi University. He also noted that there had been made no allocation of funds made for Sibbi-Khost railway station, being in a shambles.

He lamented that the Katchi Canal project of Rs. 463 million, only Rs 59 million had been allocated. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Senator Samina Abid said that the internally displaced persons were not being given cash despite the fact their houses had been destroyed and they faced so many other problems. 

The committee was informed that funds were being released for IDPs, whose houses had been completely or partially damaged, whereas Rs. 19.9 billion had been distributed among them so far through the Frontier Works Organisation, while a survey had been completed on this count and 80 percent IDPs had already returned to their houses.

PPP’s Senator Khalid Parveen urged that Punjab’s other districts should not be compared with Southern Punjab, being the most neglected part of Punjab. She regretted that the entire focus of spending was on mostly central Punjab.