Non-utilisation of ADP fund: Sindh Assembly surrenders Rs 332.872 million

Sindh Assembly has surrendered Rs 332.872 million allocated for construction of new Sindh Assembly Hall as part of Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2010-11 due to non-utilisation, Business Recorder has learnt. Sindh government had allocated Rs 700 million for the above-mentioned scheme, from which, Rs 332.872 million could not be utilised by authorities of Sindh Assembly.
According to sources in Finance Department, Sindh government had earmarked above-mentioned funds for purchase of a private piece of land of 0.47 acre adjoining the provincial assembly building for construction underground parking portion of new Sindh assembly building.
Concerned officials of Sindh assembly had tried to acquire the said piece of land but failed. Later, they decided that land would be purchased through Land Acquisition Officer (LAO) of Sindh government. But, when LAO took some steps in this regard he came to know that said piece of land was property of ML&C department of Ministry of Defence, sources said.
ML&C department holds that land on lease in schedule VIII of CLA rules 1937 up to 28-03-2024 which is also renewable up to another 30 years, after expiry. Concerned authorities told LAO that the said property cannot be acquired, being leased out by government of Pakistan in the Ministry of Defence, sources said. Keeping in view such situation, authorities of Sindh Assembly a few days ago wrote a letter to Finance department in which they mentioned surrendering Rs 332.872 million.
Speaker, Sindh assembly, Nisar Ahmed Khurro, formed a land acquisition committee comprising senior MPAs including Dr Sikandar Ali Mendgro and Munawar Ali Abbasi to purchase that piece of land because according to PC-1 of scheme, underground parking portion would be constructed on said piece of land, sources added.
An official of Planning and Development Department told Business Recorder that if any department or institution of Sindh government would surrender its allocated funds, it could get back the surrendered funds in next fiscal year for same purpose. It is pertinent to mention here that authorities of Sindh assembly had been trying to acquire said piece of land since 2005 but they could not achieve that target despite passage of more than 5 years.