National Assembly panel recommends early completion of projects

Taking serious note of delay in completion of projects, NA Standing Committee on Planning and Development Division on Saturday recommended to the Division to increase its capacity and competence for fast completion of those development projects which have direct impact on the poor segments of society.
The first meeting of the committee was held in the Parliament House with MNA Mir Hamadan Bugti in chair. The committee also urged the Commission to make appropriate storage capacity for the grains especially wheat and rice. Its members also recommended removing the bottlenecks and barriers in progress in development projects.
According to a handout issued, it was also felt that it is the need of the hour to give due importance to the education and health projects for the betterment of poor people and neglected classes of the country. Secretary Planning and Development Division assured the meeting that there would be effective implementation of the projects through enhanced monitoring and evaluation as well as by appointing dedicated Project Directors.
Shahnaz Wazir Ali, MNA congratulated the government for its special attention to the underdeveloped areas of Balochistan, Interior Sindh and NWFP, however, she expressed concern over delay in appointment of Chief Economist of the Country and recommended to place female members in the Planning Commission so that women would be represented at this important forum and contribute to the development of Pakistan.
The committee expressed its commitment over the efforts made by Planning and Development Division for bottom up approach in identifying the projects. Taking to Business Recorder, the committee chairman Mir Hamadan Bugti said that it was the first meeting of the committee and the members listened to the officials of the Commissions.
The committee had directed the officials to bring all the records pertaining to the important projects in the next meeting to be held by the end of July 2009. The meeting was attended by the Shahnaz Wazir Ali (MNA), Mian Abdus Sattar (MNA), Nawab All Wassan (MNA), Syed Nadir Ali Shah (MNA), Anjum Aqeel Khan (MNA), Muhammad Riaz Malik (MNA), Mian Marghoob Ahmad (MNA), Usman Ibrahim (MNA), Farkhanda Amjad (MNA), Farzana Mushtaq Ghani (MNA), Sufyan Yousuf MNA) and Khurshid Begum (MNA), besides other senior officials.