MUZAFFARABAD, March 20: AJK President Sardar Mohammad Anwar Khan on Wednesday underlined the need for community participation in the uplift schemes and said that political people, nominated by the Legislative Assembly members, should be included in the monitoring committees.

Speaking at the review meeting of Khushhal Kashmir Programme (KKP) and Presidential Development Programme, he directed the local government and rural development (LG&RD) department to avoid transferring officials after the beginning of any scheme and warned those hindering development of stern action.

He vowed to ensure equitable socioeconomic uplift of the state and said there would be no compromise on the standard of work.

“Practicability of the projects and an effective monitoring system are the main things to obtain the desired results,” said the president, as LG&RD Director Khawaja Saleem Bismil briefed him on the uplift schemes being executed in Azad Kashmir.

The president appreciated the performance of the department regarding development planning but said he would inspect the projects to see the standard of work, their longevity and utility.

The LG&RD director informed the president that 95 per cent work in the first phase of the KKP had been completed while work on 353 projects of the second phase was being initiated.

He said that Rs550 million would be spent till the end of June on the programmes and added that Rs800 million would be incurred with the assistance of the World Bank during the next four years on the provision of clean drinking water.

The president said the government and bureaucracy were parts of the same machinery. “Failure of bureaucracy is thus the failure of the government.”

LA Speaker Sardar Siab Khalid, chairman of the monitoring commission for the programmes, Minister Raja Nisar Ahmed Khan, Chief Secretary Mohammad Naeem Khan, LG&RD secretary and other officials attended the meeting.

IMPROVEMENT ORDERED: The president has directed the chief secretary to repair and improve the condition of the walkway along the left bank of Neelum River here to provide recreational facility to the residents and visitors.