ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) is all set to announce its budget for the financial year 2008-09 by the end of the current month without holding pre-budget meetings with the citizens like in the past.

The authority had arranged a series of pre-budget meetings with the citizens before announcing budget 2007-08. “These meeting were attended by the residents of all sectors and model villages in which useful suggestions were given to the authority, said a senior official of CDA, pleading anonymity.

He said the budget was being given final touches but this year not even a single citizen was consulted in this regard. “Last year the residents of different sectors had informed the CDA about their problems and requested allocation of more funds to redress their problems,” he said.

In these meetings, the official said, the residents of less-developed sectors outnumbered those from well-developed sectors. Their major demand was that the authority should improve its water supply network to overcoming water shortage in their areas. staff report

Source: Daily Times