01 March 2005	Tuesday	19 Muharram 1426

LAHORE, Feb 28: The Citizen Community Boards' plan, launched to encourage development through direct public participation, has failed to deliver in the provincial metropolis mainly due to its cumbersome procedures for registration and development planning.

Despite the registration of 245 CCBs with the city district government till date, only three development schemes have been completed and another 10 are in progress, while the feasibility of another 25 is being examined by the city district government's Citizen Community Boards Cell.

Though the district Nazim made an attempt to get one CCB constituted at each of the 150 union councils by the end of the first year of the city district government, the registration of the CCBs, however, could not be carried out because of their being violative of restrictions in respect of being constituted by the public representatives or government employees.

The idea behind the CCBs was to provide the people with an opportunity to identify and plan their desired development schemes, and to get these executed through civic bodies by contributing some percentage of the costs. It failed to create much public enthusiasm because of the modalities involved.

The NGOs too did not come forward for the formation of the CCBs because of the condition to contribute 20 per cent of the project costs. Preparation of the feasibility reports of the projects also proved too technical to be handled by the NGOs as well as the social workers.

Many people also had reservations regarding the public monitoring of the projects and they were not willing to go from pillar to post for release of funds, besides contributing into the costs.

The city district government expedited the process for registration of the CCBs last year when the number of registered CCBs during the second year also remained abysmally low.

Meanwhile, the funds stuck up under the CCBs head on account of mandatory provision of allocation of 25 per cent of development budget for utilization through the same increased to over Rs250 million. However, the pace of registration of the CCBs picked up last year after the National Commission for Human Development launched a nation wide campaign and the Devolution Trust for Community Empowerment started providing funds to the union councils for the purpose.

The projects executed in the city district so far relate to the upgrade of facilities in schools at a cost of Rs5.6 million, laying of gas pipelines in New Canal Park, Harbanspura, at a cost of Rs13.47 million, carpeting of Jaliana-Defence road in Raiwind at a cost of Rs16.76 million.

The projects being executed under the CCBs at present include the up gradation of Shalimar Town schools at a cost of Rs11.55 million, refurbishing of government schools at a cost of Rs10.7 million, provision of facilities in six special education schools at a cost of Rs6.115 million, provision of facilities in the Government Schools Staff Training Institute at a cost of Rs7.334 million, upgradation of Awan Town Union Council School at a cost of Rs7.849 million, carpeting of Dhalla Khurd Road at a cost of Rs2.5416 million, construction of dual carriageway in Mahfoozpura at a cost of Rs50.37 million and improvement of New Mozang roads and streets at a cost of Rs4.53 million.