QUETTA: At a meeting on development funds of local bodies` councillors that decided to launch the Citizen`s DevelopmentProgramme,Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani directed the local government department to finalise the plan and present it in a cabinet meeting.

Local Government Minister Sardar Mohammad Saleh Bhootani, Finance Minister Mir Arif Mohammad Hasani, Health Minister Mir Naseebullah Marri, the finance secretary and other of ficials attended the meeting.

The director general of the local government department briefed the participants about the councillors` development funds. He said the funds were transferred to the local bodies under a formula from the Rs5 billion allocated to the local government. Of the amount, Rs3.7bn had been allocated for development activities, he added.

He said there are 36 municipal committees, five municipal corporations and one metropolitan corporation in the province. Administrators were appointed in local government institutions when the constitutional tenure of the bodies ended, the official said.The meeting decided to utilise these funds for developing cities, providing f acilities to the people, ensuring cleanliness and purchasing fire tenders and complete these projects during the current fiscal year.

The chief minister said the projects of sanitation system, construction of roads, footpaths, streetlights and parks would be undertaken under the Citizens Development Programme.

`We have eliminated the practice of unplanned and incomplete projects and waste of funds on such projects, he said.

The Balochistan government had also discouraged waste of funds for uplift projects undertaken under the Annual Development Programme, he said.

People had witnessed that in the past several development projects were lef t incomplete though billions of rupees had been spent on them, he regretted.

`We have to save funds and utilise them on development of Balochistan, Mr Alyani said.

The chief minister instructed the authorides concerned to seek Knancial and technical support of the Asian Development Bank in formulating master plans for development of cities in the province.