Cost of delays

THE instructions issued by the NWFP government to the district governments to utilize all budgetary allocations by the end of June or else the funds would lapse speak of a litany of departmental delays and lapses affecting development projects that has been with us for long. The instructions generally relate to development works which spread over a period of more than one year. It happens that during each fiscal year the agencies responsible for implementing development projects are hamstrung by lack of funds causing delays in start and execution of work, while towards the close of the year, there is usually a great rush for using up the disbursed allocations by the deadline of June. In the present case, some of the districts are said to have an unspent amount of over Rs 100 million which has to be utilized in three weeks to avoid lapse and an upset of the implementation schedule. A few days earlier, there were reports of similar instructions from the President’s Secretariat to Wapda in respect of its multibillion-rupee hydroelectricity projects. The time squeeze apparent in these cases naturally exacts a heavy toll in terms of shoddy planning and execution, lack of transparency in spending misuse of funds, upsets in implementation schedules and so on.

Despite these weaknesses being known to all policy-makers for long, no one has ever thought of streamlining the rules and procedure for sanctioning and release of development funds. All this happens because most concerned departments tend to operate within an open-ended timeframe. There is no time schedule to achieve concrete targets and if there is any, it is not scrupulously followed. There is no accountability for the immense losses caused on account of delays. Delay in project sanctions and subsequent release of funds, generally attributed to uncertainty of revenue collection, is mostly responsible for cost overruns of development projects. In many cases, such overruns are several times more than the estimated original total costs, and yet no one has ever been held accountable for such losses.

If the sequence and timings of various stages of development works are worked out well in advance and funds are released accordingly, the question of either hurried utilization of sanctioned funds at year’s end or lapse of unspent money would not arise nor would cost over-runs inevitably result. Open-ended timeframes for all functionaries create opportunities for corruption which is rampant in departments concerned with the sanctioning and execution of development programmes. It is time the whole process of sanctioning and execution of development projects is reviewed and streamlined. The recurring problem of lapse of funds should stop, especially in the case of development projects whose implementation spreads over several years. What is needed is the strengthening of the process of accountability of those causing deliberate delays at various stages by raising frivolous objections or keeping papers pending indefinitely.

Anti-immigration backlash

A NUMBER of European Union countries have decided to impose tough curbs on immigration to stem the growing tide of racism and xenophobia in Europe. Some countries, particularly Britain and Denmark, have already adopted draconian anti-immigration laws and stricter rules for asylum-seekers. Germany, France and Spain are also poised to impose tough new laws of their own. The move to swiftly clamp down on immigration has been triggered by the recent success of populist right-wing parties in elections in a number of European countries. France, Italy, Denmark and Holland have all witnessed a sharp upsurge in support for parties campaigning on an anti-immigrant platform. These parties have effectively targeted immigrants and held them responsible for the rise in crime and unemployment. The irony is that most European countries have pursued a ‘zero’ immigration policy since the 1970s, allowing only tiny numbers in special categories to enter legally. If there is a need to take drastic measures, efforts should be made to stem the rising tide of illegal immigration.

Amnesty International has argued that tougher immigration and asylum laws will not be able to stop illegal immigration and will create serious problems for genuine asylum-seekers. In fact, closing down all legal channels to migrants actually encourages illegal immigration and also does not make economic sense. The stark fact is that Europe is desperately short of skilled workers in certain key sectors and needs to encourage immigration to fill the gap. Europe is also faced with a declining birth rate and a rapidly ageing population. As a result, financing the generous social security system to meet the needs of an older population is putting strains on the taxpayers. What Europe actually needs is rational and controlled immigration policies that will let in larger numbers of skilled migrants and fewer illegal immigrants. However, the fear of a political backlash is preventing governments from pursuing such a sensible course of action.

Margalla Hill fires

AFTER countless incidents of fire outbreak on the Margalla Hills this season, it is heartening that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Monday managed to thwart an attempt by two men to set a fire on the capital’s majestic hills. It is equally heartening to know that the CDA is planning to recruit some 250 personnel, mostly as forest guards, to be deployed in various pickets at different places on the Margalla Hills, to nip any fire outbreak in the bud. Meanwhile, under a plan prepared in the last week of May, the CDA has set up committees, comprising local villagers residing on the hills, that will cooperate with the forest staff and help watch out for anyone trying to start a fire. It was precisely this increased vigilance by the CDA that is said to have foiled a fire outbreak on the hills on Monday.

The question is why were these precautionary measures not instituted well before the current Margalla “fire” season started? The CDA is experienced enough to know that accidental or intentional fires on the Margalla Hills have been an annual occurrence for years now with the onset of summer and it should have taken all the necessary measures before the current season started. Instead, every year and no less so this year, residents of the capital are subjected to more or less the same rigmarole: fires on the hills, CDA’s commitment to improve its fire-fighting system on the Margallas through establishing pickets, and the inevitable row between the CDA and the Emergency Relief Cell (ERC) of the cabinet division over who will pay for the helicopter service used for helping put out the fires. As of May 25, the ERC had suspended the helicopter service for fire-fighting on the Margallas until the CDA pays its outstanding dues. The capital’s administration should come up with a permanent solution to this helicopter service problem and ensure that this time the fire-fighting system for the Margalla Hills is put effectively in place to deal with any fire outbreak there.