14 May 2004	Friday	23 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

ISLAMABAD, May 13: The Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development on Thursday expressed dismay over the disclosure that the Planning Commission, since its inception, met only once in 19 years.

Senator Tariq Azeem Khan presided over the committee meeting held in the Parliament House called upon the government to take immediate steps to rectify the situation.

The members of the committee expressed their concern over the wastage of money to the tune of Rs665 billion per annum accrued because of the absence of the quality control standards.

Regarding delay in the completion of various development projects, the committee underlined the need to synchronize the cash releases and expenditures on development project with a view to ensure their timely completion and better cash management as per requirement.

The committee observed that majority of the projects were running behind schedule owing to lack of monitoring and unsynchronized release of funds. The members of the committee criticized the decades old purchase system requiring three quotations for every purchase, which results in increase in prices.

The committee suggested that those independent power producers (IPPs), which increased the prices of electricity, after taking huge kick-backs, should be black-listed.

The members of the committee suggested that the country must focus on education, particularly the vocational and technical so as to become economically viable.

The deputy chairman Planning Commission, Dr Mohammad Akram Sheikh, and secretary planning and development division gave a detailed and comprehensive briefing to the committee on the working and structure of the division and its attached departments.

The meeting was attended by Leader of the House in the Senate Wasim Sajjad and Senators Kalsoom Parveen, Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli, Fauzia Fakharuz Zaman Khan. Hameedullah Jan Afridi and secretary of the committee, Iftikharullah Babar and senior officers of the planning and development ministry were also present in the meeting.