FAISALABAD/VEHARI, Jan 4: The Punjab government is in no position to brief President Gen Pervez Musharraf on the progress on the watercourse lining project as several districts have failed to meet the target, sources told Dawn on Thursday.

Sources said the president would chair the progress review meeting scheduled to be held in the second week of January.

The provincial agriculture department had asked the districts to submit their progress reports on the National Programme for Improvement of Watercourses. As the reports showed many districts failing to reach the target, the department expressed concern over the slow pace of work.

In April 2004, the government had launched a five-year programme and allocated Rs66 billion to line 86,003 watercourses, around 30,000 in Punjab. It had asked the district administrations time and again to expedite the job assigned to them as the president was interested in this mega project. Sources said the chief coordinator of the project, too, had reported that the progress in carrying out the project was not satisfactory.

A meeting was also held under the chair of the chief secretary on Nov 22 last and the DCOs of all districts assured the chair of completing the work in time. However, sources said, despite clear-cut instructions the progress remained slow which landed the provincial government in a trying situation.

Now the districts had been directed to work hard and ensure completion of the work so that they could convince the president of their abilities.

According to sources, fluctuating rates of material, non-cooperation of water user association and delaying tactics by the contractors were some of the factors responsible for delay in the project.

In Vehari, funds for the citizen community boards working on bricklining of watercourses in various parts of the district have been stopped.

Reports said DCO Babar Hassan Bharwana has ordered the officials concerned to stop funding of CCBs working on watercourse bricklining projects in the wake of the provincial government’s directive to the effect.

The Punjab agriculture secretary had just the other day issued orders to stop the work through the CCBs so that the scheme initiated under the directives of President Pervez Musharraf could be completed smoothly.

Earlier in April last, the local authorities had released around Rs22 million to the CCBs for at least 45 schemes, of which 31 are still under way.