KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has expressed his dissatisfaction over the slow pace of implementation of a gasification programme in the province and asked the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) management to expedite execution work and complete the maximum number of approved gas supply schemes for which the Sindh government had already provided Rs6.5 billion in advance.

The chief minister, who was presiding over a meeting held here at the CM House to review progress on gasification to towns and villages in Sindh, said that the province produced 70 per cent gas of the totalproduction of the country and as such the people here had a right to be benefited from their source of energy.

He said as per record total 1,394 schemes of village gasification had been forwarded to the SSGC, but only 595 schemes had been completed.

He asked the company to prepare and provide the work plans, indicating dates for completion of at least 200 to 250 village schemes within one month on a priority basis.

Meanwhile, at a different meeting held to evaluate development works carried out by the local government department in the Lyari area, the CM formed two committees to examine and evaluate the quality of the work with the directives to submit reports within two weeks.Speaking on the occasion, Mr Shah recalled that in the recent past the government had spent more than Rs2bn on the development of Lyari.

He also took serious notice of the frequent complaints from the people of Hyderabad and said that since last 10 years in addition to Rs10bn for the Hyderabad Development Package, the Sindh government had released about Rs11bn for bringing improvement in the civic facilities, but the complaints indicated that people were not getting adequate facilities.

He directed the officers of the local government department to suggest ways and means to make the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation strong enough to cater to the needs of the people of Hyderabad.

The LG secretary informed themeeting that the uplift schemes were being implemented at a cost of Rs4.7bn.

Compensation announced Condemning the attacks on the polio workers in Karachi, the CM said that the Sindh government viewed the terrorists and the polio equally dangerous to the people and would fight till their eradication.

Expressing his deep sorrow over the killing of the polio workers, he directed the Inspector General of Police and Rangers director general to take action against the killers. He also directed them to provide foolproof security to the polio workers.

He announced Rs500,000 compensation for each bereaved family of the slain polio workers.