The government is expecting to introduce project-wise monitoring of development projects from next fiscal year, as one of a planned multipronged strategy to expedite implementation.
Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal yesterday disclosed the plan what previous governments spoke about repeatedly on several occasions in the backdrop of disappointing implementation performance.
He said the development expenditure that suffers years after years will take a new turn from the next fiscal year as his ministry recommended taking a set of measures for expediting the project execution.
He did not, however, elaborate what he meant for the project-wise implementation monitoring. The plan is to back up a fast-progressing project with necessary fund release on priority basis.
But, the previous governments meant it for “physical progress” of implementation instead of implementation based on fund release against a project. The plans could not be implemented so far.
The minister unveiled the plan at a press briefing at the ministry while releasing the performance report on performance of project implementation under the current Annual Development Programme (ADP).
In the first five months (July-November) of the current fiscal year, the government spent only 21% or Tk159,897 crore out of the total annual outlay of Tk80,315 crore.
It was 20% or Tk13,156 crore out of Tk65,872 crore ADP outlay in the same period a year earlier.
“Frequent changes of project directors and sluggish fund disbursements are the stumbling block in executing the projects,” Kamal told the press briefing. “We have devised some strategies by identifying causes to remove barriers behind the poor performance.”
The ministry listed 11 problems in execution of development projects, including difficulties in getting promised grants from donor agencies, slow land acquisition, weak work-plan, frequent changes in rate schedule on construction, incomplete project design, delay in appointing firms or consultants and workforce, inefficiency in work and purchase plans, procrastination in tender process and executing project by the contractor at the field level.
To make ADP implementation faster, it proposed measures included also stopping frequent changes of project directors, evaluation of tender process on weekly basis, strong monitoring, introducing monthly instead of quarterly basis fund disbursement system, completing project design before approval and giving responsibility to district councilors concerned for land acquisition.
Among the ministries, Ministry of Foreign Affairs failed to spend any money in the first five months of this fiscal in three projects costing Tk95 crore allocated for the current fiscal while Ministry of Science and Technology spent highest 80% in terms of percentage and Local Government Division highest Tk3,695.22 crore in terms of value.
In first five months of this fiscal, some 24 ministries and divisions witnessed an implementation rate more than 20%, 13 between 15-20%, three between 10-15% and 15 below 10%.
Replying to a question about Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways projects, Kamal said the work of Dhaka-Chittagong highway is in progress and it is expected to be completed by the next fiscal year.
