With PSDP slashed, govt hiring firms to monitor projects

ISLAMABAD: As the federal development budget has been slashed down by Rs200 billion, the government has earmarked about Rs2 billion for monitoring selected 30 megaprojects at the initial stage through a third party for ensuring effective implementation, officials said on Thursday.

Under the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions, Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) was reduced from Rs900 billion to Rs700 billion for the current fiscal year in a bid to confine budget deficit within desired and agreed limits.

Asad Umar, Federal Minister for Planning, reviewed the implementation status of PSDP megaprojects in a high-level meeting here in the federal capital.

The Member Implementation & Monitoring Planning Commission, DG Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), and senior officials attended the meeting.

The Member (Implementation & Monitoring) Planning Commission apprised the minister regarding shortlisting of seventeen private specialist firms for monitoring mega development projects.

The selected firms will start submitting monitoring reports after mid of December 2021. After the initial assessment for kick-starting monitoring of thirty projects by the M&E specialist firms, the programme will be upscaled in phases, according to the official statement.

During the meeting, the minister also examined the progress of Mohmand Dam and Dasu Dam and emphasised priority funding to these projects.

Moreover, the minister was apprised on the progress of two major roads in Gilgit-Baltistan namely Upgradation and Widening of Jaglot-Skardu Road (167 km) and Updated Progress on Naltar Valley Road of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Umar directed the concerned department to work expeditiously on the remaining two bridges of the Jaglot-Skardu Road project, a critical artery in Gilgit-Baltistan, and complete it as soon as possible.

He was informed that more than two-third length of Naltar Valley Road had been blacktopped, to which, the minister tasked the concerned authorities to fully mobilise the required resources to ensure completion of the road by June 2022.

“This road project will open up the doors for tourism and contribute to the creation of more job opportunities and accrue social-economic impact for the region,” Umar said.

Following a brief on the progress and status of land acquisition for the Sukkur–Hyderabad motorway, the minister said the land acquisition process should be completed on a priority basis so that construction on the project could be started in the third quarter of the current fiscal year.

The planning minister also directed NHA (National Highway Authority) to ensure effective coordination with provincial and districts administration for timely resolution of project sites issues so that the construction phase of this important motorway should not be delayed.