Pakistan - Lack of planning

The incomplete federally-funded schemes worth Rs 7.9 trillion were reportedly delayed due to flaws in their planning and execution. The issue was brought up in the meeting of Public Accounts Committee where the ministries concerned were taken to task for apparent carelessness and ill-planning. The committee also noted that cost overruns in some cases have rose to many times more than the original cost of the projects.

Bureaucratic hurdles and lack of proper planning often result in public funds being wasted in the name of development work and hardly is anyone held accountable for the negligence. Lack of resources was termed as another reason for the delay in completion of the projects. This goes to show that the whole process from planning of schemes to initiating them is plagued with institutional incompetence and poor planning. The delays caused in the completion of the projects could have been avoided had there been proper planning on the part of those delegated with the responsibility.

PAC Chairman Khurshid Shah is right in saying that this is a failure of the institutions tasked with planning development projects. Needless to say, the authorities concerned should take notice of the situation. Once the schemes are approved, the relevant authorities should keep an eye on how well they are being undertaken and whether the work is proceeding at a satisfactory pace.

The ministries concerned should also work in meaningful coordination with the bureaucracy in this regard as delays are often caused by a lack of proper communication between the stakeholders associated with the schemes. Meanwhile, the reports that political affiliations have contributed to the delays are disappointing. The federal government ought to take decisions in national interest instead of trying to settle scores with its political opponents by delaying development schemes.