Lyari uplift project still a distant dream: survey

KARACHI - Lyari Development Package (LDP) initiated by President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari had remained a dream for the inhabitants of Lyari as the authorities concerned had nullified good intentions through misuse of the allotted funds, The Nation learnt through a survey on Thursday.
Lyari Town consists of 11 union councils, having a population of over a million. It is the strong hold of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) since its formation by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
As compared to the previous regimes, the issue of Lyari development has seriously been taken up by the current PPP government. First time in the history of Pakistan government had announced a major project for the betterment of Lyari.
President Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani have announced special packages for the oldest town in the City. The special fund for LDP is being released to upgrade the dilapidated infrastructure of Lyari Town.
When the special package was announced by the government, the inhabitants of the town were pleased to hear the news but the slow progress of the work has disappointed them.
Criticising the Lyari Town administration as well as the authorities concerned, the residents of Lyari have alleged that the released funds are being misused, as it was done previously.
They alleged that the contracts of the development projects were not distributed on merit but by taking bribe, personal relations and political influence.
The area people also alleged that substandard material is being used for road carpeting and also claimed that nothing has been changed in the town despite huge funds allocated by the President.
On the other hand, Town Nazim Lyari Mehmood Hashmi has rejected the allegation of the residents and said that for the first time, despite minimum resources of revenue department and without the financial support of City District Government Karachi (CDGK), Lyari Town administration had spent Rs90 million in one-year alone.