Rind condemns diversion of Bolan Dam funds to Dera Bugti area

QUETTA: Senior politician Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind has criticised the Balochistan government over the transfer of Rs340 million from the approved budget of the Bolan Dam to the Baiker area of Dera Bugti.

Rind told the media in Quetta on Thursday that the amount had been shifted from a larger allocation of Rs700 million set aside under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for dam schemes in his constituency.

He said the province’s current circumstances required calm and stability instead of further tension. According to Rind, he was deliberately refraining from launching street protests because he did not want to create additional difficulties for the government.

At the same time, he strongly objected to what he described as the improper removal of funds that had already been earmarked for a specific project area. He termed the diversion of the allocation unacceptable and said development money approved for one region should not be spent elsewhere. "Funds approved for specific regions must be spent on projects in those areas to ensure timely completion and public welfare projects," he added.

Rind said the transfer involved money that had originally been approved for the Bolan Dam project and related dam works in his constituency under the PSDP. He maintained that such allocations should remain tied to the areas for which they were sanctioned.

The senior politician also linked the issue to broader public welfare, saying that keeping funds within their designated regions was necessary for the timely completion of development schemes and for ensuring that people benefited from the projects for which the money had been approved.

His remarks came in response to the provincial government’s decision to move part of the Bolan Dam allocation to Baiker in Dera Bugti. The amount in question, Rs340 million, represents nearly half of the Rs700 million allocation that had been approved under the development programme for dam-related projects in his constituency.

While voicing strong opposition to the move, Rind said he was choosing restraint in view of the prevailing situation in Balochistan. He said the province needed stability and that he did not want to add to unrest through street agitation, even though he considered the transfer of the funds deeply objectionable.

His statement was issued publicly during his media interaction in Quetta, where he urged that development spending remain aligned with the original approvals so that projects could be completed on schedule and serve the intended communities.