Government proposes to allocate Rs 37.675 billion for 116 schemes

The government has proposed to allocate Rs 37.675 billion for 116 (34 new and 82 ongoing) schemes of the Ministry of Communication in Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for forthcoming fiscal year (2011-12). According to documents available with Business Recorder, the Communications Ministry has requested Rs 77.22 billion for 116 projects but the government has proposed to allocate 37.675 billion in PSDP for 2011-12.
Reliance on foreign loans would be to the tune of 6.776 billion out of which 5.78 billion would be allocated for ongoing projects and Rs 1 billion for new projects. The Ministry had requested Rs 10.6 billion for 34 new projects but according to the documents the Ministry is expected to receive only Rs 2.21 billion. Similarly, the Ministry had requested 66.69 billion for 82 ongoing projects but the government has proposed 35.29 billion.
According to documents, the Ministry has requested allocation for new projects that include (i) Rs 1.8 billion Realignment of KKH and Barrier Lake Attabad, Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan, however the proposed allocation is 750 million; (ii) Rs 2.5 billion for rehabilitation of NHA Highways Network damaged due to unprecedented monsoon rain and flash floods 2010, with allocation proposed at Rs 750 million (iii) Rs 5 million for Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway with the proposed allocation of Rs 2 million and (iv) Rs 200 million for the construction of bridge over River Indus Connecting Hala (N-5) with Khanote(N-55) near Manihand with the proposed allocation of Rs 2 million.
For ongoing projects, the Ministry requested Rs 2.5 billion for the project of Ratodero-Dadu-Sehwan ACW (E-6B) (200 KM) (JICA) Land-Sindh, Rs 5 billion for widening & improvement of N-85, Hoshab-Nag-Basima-Surab Road (459 KM), Rs 2 billion for Khori Quba Saeed Khan Section (Khuzdar-Ratodero Road 143 Km), Rs 3.85 billion for the project Gwader-Turbat-Section (200 Km) of Gwadar-Ratoder Road (650 Km) M-8, Rs 2 billion for NHDSP Qilla Saifullah-Zhob N-50 (155 km)-Balochistan but the government has proposed an allocation of Rs 1.41 billion, Rs 2 billion, Rs 1.4 billion, Rs 1.2 billion and Rs 1.14 billion respectively. The Ministry also requested Rs 4 billion for N-5 Highway Rehabilitation Project (857 Km) but the government proposed allocation of Rs 2.15 billion for fiscal year 2011-12.