Punjab CM has been asked to complete foreign-funded projects in time and avoid delays. Punjab is running 24 foreign-funded projects worth $ 6.079 billion.
This was revealed during a recent meeting of the National Coordination Committee on Foreign-Funded Projects (NCC-FFP) under the chairmanship of the Federal Minister Economic Affairs Division to review the progress of the foreign-funded projects in Punjab.
The meeting was attended by the Provincial Minister for Energy, Muhammad Akhtar, Provincial Minister for Education, Murad Raas, Provincial Minister for Health, Yasmeen Rashid, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Muhammad Jehanzeb Khan, Secretary EAD, Mian Asad Hayaud Din, and senior officers of EAD and provincial departments.
At present, the Government of Punjab is implementing 24 development foreign-funded projects amounting to $6.079 billion financed by Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank (WB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), China, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
During the meeting, NCC-FFP also reviewed the compliance status of the committee’s previous decisions. Out of 24 projects, the progress of 17 projects was rated as satisfactory, 4 projects as particularly satisfactory whereas 3 projects were identified as problematic.
On the PPP Project, the committee noted that its progress is very slow and despite a lapse of almost 4-years, no project has been initiated yet. The ADB has provided $100 million as a loan, and the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office UK (FCDO-UK) has committed $19.6 million as a grant for this project.
The representative of PPP Punjab informed that the bidding process for Lahore Water Metering Subproject had been completed, and the Concession Agreement is expected to be signed by the end of February 2022.
He further updated that another subproject, “Multan-Vehari Road,” has been approved by PPP Board, and the Expression of Interest (EOI) has been published. Accordingly, the procurement process is expected to be completed by May 2022.
The Public-Private Partnership project was set up by the Buzdar government to accelerate the development projects in the provinces. The government of the view that it can’t bear the burden of mega development projects worth billions of rupees alone. To bridge the gap between resources and development, the private sector should be mobilizing for financing.
The PPP project was launched under the renowned economist Sulman Shah, former Finance Adviser in the Shaukat Aziz government.
The committee also showed its serious concerns about the slow progress of the Water Resource Project, Faisalabad. French Development Agency committed $112 million for this project in 2019, but no disbursement is made yet. The representative of the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), Faisalabad, informed that this project is now picking up the pace.
The NCC-FFP also reviewed Punjab Tourism for Economic Growth project funded by WB. The committee highlighted that out of $50 million, only $16 million has been disbursed since 2017 due to the slow progress of the project.
The representative of the Tourism Department, Punjab, informed that the revised PC-I had been approved. Out of 9 subprojects, 6 subprojects have been completed, while the contracts of the remaining 3 subprojects have been awarded.
The committee also deliberated on the partially satisfactory projects, including Punjab Agriculture & Rural Transformation Programme ($300 million), Punjab Green Development Program ($200 million) funded by WB and Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Project ($200 million), and Punjab Urban Development Project ($15 Million) funded by ADB.
Under Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Project, urban services including supply, waste management, streets, parks, and bus terminals will be upgraded and augmented in Sialkot & Sahiwal.
It was further informed that under phase-II, preparation of sub-projects in 7 other cities of Punjab, i.e., Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, Rawalpindi, and Sargodha, is under process.
The Minister for Economic Affairs appreciated the efforts of line departments to expedite the implementation of other foreign-funded projects.
The Minister directed the line departments to strictly follow the timelines for expeditious implementation of the development projects. He emphasized that development projects must be executed in a timely and efficient manner so that people can benefit from these projects without any delay.
The Minister further directed to enhance the capacity of Project Management Units and prepare Gantt Charts for effective monitoring of the projects.
Source: Pro Pakistan