ISLAMABAD: The failure of the Abdul Majid government in allocating more funds for development projects for the people of AJK and not increasing a single penny in the previous development budget has prompted grave concern among political and religious circles.
The popularity graph of the AJK government has further declined in the estimation of people due to non enhancement of the development funds not upgrading the standard of living of the people.
According to sources the federation has already told AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan governments beforehand that their development budget for the upcoming financial year 2016-17 will be equal to the previous year’s development budget and no increase will be made therein.
According to senior officers of the AJK government, the AJK Prime Minister (PM) will record his protest at the May 30 meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) for seeking enhancement in the AJK budget.
Sources said that following the assumption of office of PM by Nawaz Sharif, the development budget of AJK had been slashed by 40 per cent. The development budget of AJK stood at Rs 20 billion in 2013-14 which was restricted to Rs 12 billion with the reduction equal to 40 per cent last year.
During the current year the budget has been raised to Rs 13.30 billion with a 10 per cent increase. Likewise the Gilgit-Baltistan development budget for the year 2013-14 stood at Rs 9.5 billion which was reduced to Rs 9.20 billion during 2014-15. In the current fiscal year it was increased to Rs 9.90 billion.
The development budget for the current fiscal 2015-16 stood at Rs 12.52 billion and it totalled Rs 13.30 billion by including foreign aid amounting to Rs 775 million. Rs 12.70 billion were released out of the total budget.
10 mega development projects were worked out for AJK while work has not been completed on some projects. Work on some of them has not been even started.
Rs 300 million have been earmarked for the AJK Block Jagran Hydel power project, Rs 100 million for Athmuqam-Tehran bypass road project, Rs 500 million for the construction of a bridge in Mirpur, Rs 100 million for a medical college in Mirpur, Rs 100 million for Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, Shaheed Medical College in Muzaffarabad, Rs 100 million for New Seri Sehwa Bypass Road, Rs 350 million for water supply and sewerage in Mirpur, Rs 100 million for the AJK legislative assembly building and Rs 150 million for a water supply scheme in district Mirpur.
According to the AJK government work has not started on foreign funded development projects due to lack of funds.