Prime Min-ister Raja Pervez Ashraf has directed Ministry of Finance to immediately release Rs 6 billion required for the completion of the Kachchi Canal project The decision to this effect was taken by the prime minister here on Thursday while chairing a meeting to review the progress of ongoing development projects.
An official said that the meeting on Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) due last week could not take place because neither Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr Nadeem-ul-Haq was present in the county nor the appointment of Secretary Planning Commission was made after the retirement of former secretary planning Asif Bajwa. The meeting also decided to pool resources for the expeditious completion of the Kachi Canal project this year.
The prime minister also directed the Planning Commission to complete Dadu-Khuzdar Transmission line on fast track basis and Kallat-Quetta-Chaman road be also completed before the end of this year. He also directed the fast-track completion of Kalat-Rato Dero, Khori-Qubi Saeed Khan section (Kuhzdar-Rato Deo road) and Gawader-Rato Dero road.
Raja Pervez Asharf said that the present government considerably increased development expenditure from Rs 416 billion in 2009-10 to Rs 873 billion for PSDP 2012-13 and now priority should be given to complete the projects which are near completion so that their benefits start reaching the people as early as possible. He said that allocation of public sector development funds have been increased considerably during the last four years but regretted that their impact is missing because the projects could not be completed in time for one reason or the other leading to cost over-runs and delay.
He directed that the approval of the projects should be accorded keeping in view their national and strategic importance. He said that he would be personally inspecting the projects to review their progress and wanted that all health related projects should be completed on priority. The meeting was attended by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Dr Nadeem-ul-Haq, Senator Seyda Sughra Imam, Secretaries of Finance, Planning, EA Divisions, Chairman Wapda, Chairman NHA and other senior government officials.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2012
