PESHAWAR, Jan 17: Delay in the execution of uplift projects announced during the past couple of years is increasing burden on the provincial capital’s delicate civic infrastructure besides increasing the cost of the schemes.

Officials belonging to provincial and district development agencies consider inadequate funding, cumbersome procedures and political interference as major factors hindering these projects. Planners at the district level consider meagre resources being allocated from the provincial government under Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) award as a major reason for their inability to upgrade the existing infrastructure.

According to the resource distribution formula envisaged under the PFC, Peshawar district had been getting over Rs83.23 million for the past four years as its share to undertake development work in its 95 union councils.

Even though, the district government generates resources for its development projects, the vertical distribution of resources from province to district was insufficient to carry out major uplift projects, the officials said.

“The agencies at district level need unprecedented increase in development outlay that could enable them to make structural planning, which was the missing link of the current exercise,” a district planner told Dawn.

According to budget documents, the provincial Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2006-07 had a total of nine development projects, including seven ongoing and two new under its urban development component. The projects were being implemented in the provincial capital.

However, the official explained, usually these projects were getting very low budgetary allocation every year that delayed their completion and increased the projects’ cost.

Being an important project, construction of flyover on Rehman Baba Intersection also known as Suri Pul could be termed a classic example of under-funding by the provincial government, said Azam Khan Afridi, former district nazim.

Initiated in 2002 with an estimated cost of Rs267 million, Mr Afridi said it was supposed to be completed by 2005 but the MMA government had reduced funds for the project soon after joining the office.

According to him, the provincial government had deleted the construction of a flyover from Central Prison to Bacha Khan Chowk from the original design of the project besides diverting funds to other projects.

Slow pace of work on the flyover near Balahisar Fort, owing to scarce resources, he said not only escalating cost of construction but it had also become a permanent nuisance for the dwellers, as traffic jams could be witnessed in the area most of the time.

Women and Children Hospital was another example of lack of interest and shortage of funds by the authorities concerned.

The project was initiated in 2003 in collaboration with provincial government, UNHCR and Commissionerate of Afghan Refugees and as per the agreement the district government spent money on renovation of the building.

But Mr Afridi alleged the provincial government had neither allocated funds for the project nor it pursued the case with other partner entities resulting in making millions worth investment useless that the district government had spent on the project some four years ago.

Additionally, two special development packages had been announced during the past four years for the metropolitan, which were still lying pending.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf, in a mammoth rally at Arbab Niaz Stadium, unveiled a development package for Peshawar in a bid to earn maximum support ahead of Presidential referendum.

Likewise, the NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani also announced a special grant ahead of district nazimship elections last year probably to win support for the candidate backed by his party. However, authorities at district and town levels were yet to receive funding against such packages despite taking up the matter with relevant quarters for time and again, an official at district government informed.

Impediments, the official opined, whether of political or procedural nature were deteriorating the infrastructure of the provincial capital that ultimately adding to the hardships of the commoners.