ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel, Friday, while emphasising the need for accountability and transparency in Public Works Department (PWD) has called for a detailed briefing from the PWD in the next session and stressed the importance of investigating corruption-related issues to ensure fair and efficient management of public resources.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Planning and Development which met here under the chairmanship of Syed Abdul Qadir Gillani to address key concerns regarding the performance of the PWD and other national development initiatives. During the meeting, the committee members raised serious concerns about the management of allocated funds, citing instances of corruption, poor implementation, and disparities in fund distribution.
The committee expressed disappointment with the PWD’s role in executing and overseeing development projects, highlighting delays, budgetary cuts, and the shelving of projects as persistent issues. With the responsibility for PWD projects being transferred to the provinces and allocations coming from the Cabinet Division, the committee questioned the handling of incomplete projects and unreleased funds.
The meeting was informed that the government has expedited the transfer of PWD-related projects to the provinces, saying the projects will be divided according to districts and the deputy commissioner in each district will be made the focal person who, along with the PWD and the relevant departments, will complete all agreements randomly. No Objection Certificates (NOCs) will be obtained from the contractors stating that they have no objection to the change of sponsor agency.
Planning Ministry officials said that only the projects are being transferred to the provinces but the funding allocated to these projects under the PSDP will continue. The ministry has directed all provinces to inform within a week, the names of the ministries to which these ongoing projects will be transferred.
The ongoing PWD projects in the federal capital will also be transferred to the CDA and the relevant ministries and the ongoing projects under the PWD are not being terminated but are merely being transferred to different institutions, the official said. The meeting was informed that Balochistan has completed its work in this regard first and the remaining provinces should also provide complete details within a week.
The committee members while discussing the delays in the Ministry of Health’s project to provide free critical medicines to cancer patients, supported by a pharmaceutical company, was informed by the Ministry of Planning that the Ministry of Health has submitted the project late, therefore, it was not included in the current year’s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). The Planning Ministry officials said that now the project has been deferred to the next cycle. The committee emphasised the importance of immediate follow-up to ensure this critical initiative is not further delayed and urged the relevant authorities to expedite the approval process to ensure timely provision of free cancer treatment.
The committee was also briefed on key road infrastructure projects, including the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway, which has been prioritised for inclusion in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to secure concessional financing.
Concerns were raised regarding motorway safety and the equitable allocation of resources across regions, therefore, the committee decided to hold an exclusive briefing on CPEC in the future.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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