KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has asked the provincial works and services department to complete 33 roads sector schemes by the end of June by utilising Rs9.7 billion fund allocated in the current ADP for developing 927 km length of roads.

The size of the development budget had been raised from Rs25 billion to Rs168 billion and the government was giving priority to schemes of education, health, communication and water sectors, he said.

At a meeting on the works and services department he presided over at CM House on Thursday, the chief minister asked the department to complete PC-1 of six different road sector schemes to be completed with $200 million financial assistance the Asian Development Bank had extended for the construction 328 km long new roads in the province.

He said that his government was developing communication facilities because they were directly linke d to progress and prosperity and benefited growers, businessman and general public byreducing distance between cities, towns and villages and saving precious time and energy of people.

The chief minister said that because of the importance of communication facilities 100 per cent funds had been released to the department to help it achieve its targets.

Earlier, provincial secretary of workers & services, Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah, informed the meeting that his department was working on 491 schemes of road sector and out of Rs9.7 billion Rs9.6 billion had already been released for the schemes while 55 per cent of the released funds had so far been used.

He hoped that 100 per cent released amount would be utilised by the end of June this year and assured the meeting that of 33 priority schemes of 927 km length of roads, 315 roads would be completed by the end of this financial year.

GERMAN MPs: Talking to a delegation of German parliamentarians, who called on him at the CM House, the chief minister said the law & order situation in the province was under control and Sindh was now safe and secure for investment.

He said that after the 18th Amendment the provincial governments enjoyedcomplete administrative and financial autonomy and were empowered to enter into agreements directly with any country to promote social, cultural and economic relations.

He said that by virtue of this empowerment, the Sindh government had signed many agreements and MoUs with England, China, Turkey, Australia, Korea and other countries for implementation of different projects of infrastructural development and generation of energy.

The chief minister said that Sindh was blessed with natural resources and it had a great potential for investment. `We are producing cotton, cotton yarn, fabric and other agro items including rice and fruits which are popular in Europe,` he said and invited the European Union to increase trade volume with Pakistan.

MP Niel Annes, who led the delegation, said that during their visit of the country, they had gone to many places and held meetings with their counterparts and apart from the politics they were impressed by economic opportunities offered by the country, especially Sindh because of its major city Karachi.

The delegation was accompanied by consul general of their country.