ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, led by Senator Saifullah Abro, convened Monday to discuss ongoing and completed projects of communications sector particular National Highways Motorways and Road Infrastructure under multilateral, bilateral and UN agencies along with the details of tendering process and interest paid by federal government on these projects.
The officials informed the committee a total of 33 projects have been completed as of July 2024, of which 15 projects were funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB),05 projects by World Bank (WB),07 projects by China, 01 project funded by Saudi Fund for Development,01 projects by USAID,03 projects by Japan,01 project was funded by Kuwait Fund.
The total commitments for these projects were $9,996.20 million with disbursements of $9,355.19 million. However, 10 projects are ongoing with a commitment of $1,547.03 million, and from these, four projects each are funded by ADB and Korea and one each by Saudi Fund for Development and the World Bank.
The committee lamented NHA officials for not providing required details regarding CAREC Corridor Development Investment Program-Tranche 1 & II projects despite being asked several times.
While discussing the ongoing projects, Senator Saifullah Abro remarked that the contracts of several projects could not be awarded for three years since the signing of loan agreement. He opined that such delays cost nation a fortune and the economic affairs decision should devised an implementation mechanism to ensure transparency in these projects.
The committee asked the EAD and its concerned department (NHA) provide details of numbers of bidders participated (qualified & disqualified) and submitted their bids of all lots under ongoing CAREC Corridor Development Investment Program-Tranche 1 project along the reasons of delay in its completion.
The committee also asked the EAD and its concerned department (NHA) to provide bidding data sheet of all ongoing projects under Communications Sector to the committee. Regarding the implementation status on the recommendation of the committee concerning of the commencement of work on Section-I (Chakdara - Timargara) N-45, the committee was dissatisfied with the replies given by the NHA and recommended NHA to provide details to the committee.
On the implementation status of the recommendation regarding provision of a copy of bank guarantee/bid security along with a copy of verification from bank (Head Office) of the contractor for N-70 Qila Saifullah-Loralai-WaigumRud Road Section, the committee directed the EAD to write letter to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) about the confirmation of the guarantee given by the bank.
While discussing ongoing and completed projects by Irrigation, Planning and Development and Livestock and Fisheries departments of provincial government of Sindh under multilateral, bilateral partners and UN agencies. The committee took serious notice of non-provision of briefing material to the committee.
The committee asked the provincial departments, the Sindh government to provide the details of all ongoing projects as per the agenda item of the meeting and deferred the agenda item to be further discussed in the next committee meeting.
Senators Kamran Murtaza, Falak Naz, Kamil Ali Agha, Haji Hidayatullah Khan, Rana Mahmood ul Hassan, Special Secretary Economic Affairs Division Humair Karim along with other senior officials of the departments concerned attended the meeting.