QUETTA: The Balochistan cabinet reviewed the Public Sector Development Programme 2018-19 and took various decisions about work on ongoing development projects and release of funds and sought the list of the old projects under investigation and those which could not have been completed over the last 10 years.

A meeting of the cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani and attended by the secretaries of different departments, discussed suggestions to decide how to release funds for the ongoing development projects. It was decided that the planning and development department would give final shape to new development schemes.

It was also decided that the sub-committee of the cabinet on the PSDP would review the slashed schemes.

The cabinet directed the sub-committee to submit the list of those schemes which were under investigation and others which could not have been executed or completed over the last 10 years, in the next cabinet meeting.

The chief minister said that the provincial cabinet and bureaucracy needed to jointly work as a team and each member of this team should fulfil his responsibilities,

“All departments have been given power to run their administrative affairs and they will be held accountable if any negligence was found in their performance,” Mr Alyani said.

The cabinet approved suspending of the funds for under-investigation development schemes. As per another decision of the cabinet, 245 on-going schemes will be presented to the sub-committee of the cabinet to decide whether they should be continued or suspended.

The cabinet directed all the departments to submit the layout and PC-1 of new development schemes to the finance and planning and development department before the cabinet presented the schemes in the Provincial Assembly for final approval.

The cabinet directed the planning and development department to exclude the Pat Feeder Canal Project and some other projects from the PSDP and include these projects in a separate list.

The cabinet also approved direct release of funds for various development projects to expedite work on them on temporary basis, and continue the practice on permanent basis if it yields positive results.

“Without any hesitation the provincial government would take strict action against week performers while competent officers would be rewarded because the government seeks to build a positive image through good governance and development of Balochistan,” Mr Alyani said. “We can’t tolerate compromise on the provincial government’s performance,” he added.

The cabinet also directed the planning and development department to start preparing development programme for 2019-20 and instructed all departments to fix timeframe of their development projects.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2019