Pakistan bureaucrats blamed for non-utilisation of money meant for cities

Karachi Airport during World War II (File Photo)

CALL it a Pak version of mini-JNNURM. Five Pakistan cities and four parts of Karachi were doled out a special package worth Rs 1,000 crore (Pak rupee), but the resources could not be fully utilized in the absence of an elected local government system in Sindh province and bureaucrats’ risk averse attitude, The Dawn has reported. The package was a part of Sindh government’s 2011-12 budget which benefitted cities like…Karachi, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana, Lyari, Malir, Keamari, Karachi Underdeveloped Area and Sukkur.
But according to reports, bureaucrats working in those cities became reluctant to utilize the entire fund. First, they realized they did not have enough capacity to execute projects. Secondly, none of the bureaucrats took extra risks in utilizing the fund because there is no elected government in the province. The newspaper report has further given a city-wise break-up of non-utilization of funds.
In India, JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) was a huge programme under which projects over Rs 68,000 crore were undertaken. Though seven-year-long JNNURM-I that benefited 65 mission cities ended in March 31, 2012, it’s expected that another such gigantic city-specific programme, tentatively called JNNURM-II may soon be launched. As high as $38 billion is expected to be spent in JNNURM-II, according to India’s urban development minister Kamal Nath.

Action and Appointments
a) Hari Har Mishra, a 1998 batch IDAS officer and deputy secretary in the ministry of environment and forests, has been re-designated as director in the ministry.
b) Puskal Upadhyay, also a 1998 batch IDAS officer and deputy secretary in the ministry of environment and forests, has been re-designated as director in the same ministry.