Finance Ziarat
District Accounts and Development Funds
District Accounts
The intention was to provide comprehensive information in all of the District Profiles on the flows of public funds in and out of each district and within each district. However, within the constraints of time and resources, it did not prove to be possible to collect the required data and to present a more or less complete picture. There were differences between the districts in the level of information gathered.
In case of Ziarat it would be wrong to formulate firm conclusions on the basis of partial evidence. The impression exists however that, as in other districts, the funds collected in the district are not enough to cover the recurrent- and development expenditures made in or on behalf of the district. This is certainly true for the development funds. The district is dependent on transfers from other levels of government to undertake substantial developmental activities. This implies, in the present system, that a large part of the decision making process on development takes place outside the district.
Development Funds
Development activities in the district are undertaken by different agencies in their particular fields of responsibility. These agencies/organizations work independent of each other. An overall district development plan incorporated in a single document and operating under a single authority, does not exist. There is however, a Ziarat Valley Development Authority (ZVDA) established in 1991 with limited functions and funds as described later on.
It seems useful to introduce the agencies that are or could be active in the field of development in this district. The development activities can be categorized into the following four types.
1. Provincial government initiated activities including the activities of ZVDA.
2. Local government initiated activities.
3. Federal government initiated activities.
4. NGO initiated activities.
The Provincial Government is the major development agency. Its activities cover all the productive sectors, social services, and infrastructure described in chapters 5-7. Sectoral development needs of district are deter-mined by the departments concerned, and communicated to the Planning and Development Department where they are evaluated for incorporation in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
The PSDP is financed out of the provincial development budget and out of contributions from donor agencies. The Planning and Development Department compiles a PSDP for each financial year. The government submits the PSDP to the Provincial Assembly for approval.
The PSDP for the year 1995-96 shows allocations for 10 projects that aggregated amount to Rs. 47.471 million, including a foreign assistance component of Rs. 29.710. In the next financial year, 1996-97, the allocation increased substantially to Rs. 102.815, again for 10 schemes. In this year the foreign contribution was Rs. 37.710.
The PSDP for the current year, 1997-98, reflects a total allocation of Rs. 104.162 for 19 projects, including a foreign component of Rs. 48.747. This amount should however be treated with some caution because it is not at all sure that, with a view on the financial situation, the government can obtain sufficient funds to finance the PSDP as proposed.
The road sector would receive the biggest amount with 39.7%, followed by environment (especially the juniper forests) with 21.4% and Public Health Engineering with 10.2%.
Ziarat Valley Development Authority (ZVDA)
The ZVDA was established in 1992 under "The Ziarat Valley Development Authority Act, 1992" issued as Balochistan Act No. VIII of 1992 to "Prepare, implement and enforce schemes for development of education, health, agriculture and industry, conservation and development, preservation of juniper forest, promotion of tourism, improvement of water supply, land slides management, development of irrigation facilities, development of means of communications, construction and development of housing, sewerage, drainage, environmental improvement and control". The Act also provides that "all the development activities of Federal or Provincial Government and Agencies thereof shall be under control of the authority (ZVDA)". Although the scope of functions of ZVDA is quite wide, it has so far limited its activities to small improvements in a limited area - Ziarat town and surroundings for facilitating mainly the tourists. The improvements include construction of lavatories (all of which are now unusable - being blocked), small parks, sheds at different places for tourists, etc. The ZVDA is now in charge of the water supply system in Ziarat town.
It is now planned to expand the scope of work of ZVDA. The main concentration will be on improvements that would facilitate tourism. The ZVDA has proposed to Government of Balochistan to make it the co-ordinator of line departments, especially Communication and Works Department; PHED; Irrigation Department; Sport; Culture, & Tourism Deptt; Agriculture Deptt; Agri: Engineering Deptt; Municipal Committee; Local Government Deptt; Forest Department.
During 1991-96 the ZVDA received Rs. 46.00 million from various sources out of which Rs. 40.00 million have been spent on development works and the balance of six million rupees on non-development account. For 1996-97, the ZVDA requirements were Rs. 18.50 million, but it has been sanctioned only Rs. 10.00 million for two years (1996-97 & 1997-98) which the ZVDA considers to be inadequate.
The developmental proposals drawnup by ZVDA focuses on local improvement to facilitate the tourists and also to improve the quality of life in the area under its jurisdiction (Ziarat town and around). The development proposals appear to be quite feasible and if implemented should make Ziarat one of the most popular tourist spots nationally, while tourists from abroad could be attracted as well.
The developmental activities initiated by local government bodies concentrate on local improvements with respect to drinking water, sanitation, construction of paths and streets etc. The Municipal Committee, Ziarat, the four union councils of the district, and the district council have not reported many development activities during 1991-96 as they have little funds for this purpose. However, not withstanding this inactivity the local government institutions are potentially an important agency for development.
Federal government's scale of involvement in the district's development activity could not be ascertained. The federal government's major involvement in this district is in respect of telecommunication, maintenance of national heritage, and environment and wild life.
Some half a dozen NGOs are active in Ziarat district. Their work is welfare oriented but it has development orientation, too, as it is contributing to human resource development. Enough is not known about their performance and its impact on the districts development.