K-P development projects run sans monitoring mechanism

Not a single monitoring visit carried out by respective nazims in 16 of 25 districts, reveals report

PESHAWAR: In what appears to be a sheer violation of its Local Government Act, 2013, the developmental projects in over 50 per cent districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) are being run without any monitoring system in place.

According to the Development Guidelines for Devolved Tiers 2015, the nazim of the respective district, tehsil and village or neighbourhood council is required to hold periodic progress review for the financial as well as physical progress of the development projects.

However, not even a single visit has been carried out by the respective nazims in 16 out of 25 districts, revealed an institutional assessment report titled “K-P District Stock Take” of the local body system, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune. The report has been compiled by the provincial local government, elections and rural development department.



“The commissioner of the respective district through divisional monitoring and evaluation officer is required to monitor at least 25% of the projects in district, tehsil and village/neighbourhood councils,” the report read, adding the deputy commissioners and district nazim each shall visit not less than 10% of the projects being funded through district/tehsil fund.

The study conducted for the report further revealed that the nazims have only conducted visits in eight districts but still the minimum requirement of checking and visiting 10% of the projects has not been met.

Moreover, the deputy commissioners have carried out 13 monitoring visits but the minimum requirement of paying such visits was only met in six districts including Charsadda, Lakki Marwat, Lower Dir, Peshawar, Swabi, and Upper Dir.

When it comes to the visits of the technical staff to monitor the projects, the report stated that no visits have been conducted in 17 out of 25 districts by any department while commissioners have also conducted insufficient visits.



“Overall monitoring mechanism in the districts was not found satisfactory as the reported number of visits do not suffice,” it said, adding, the unsatisfactory monitoring mechanism is owing to the shortage of staff, lack of transport facilities and incentives for the staff members.

In order to streamline the monitoring mechanism of the projects, the report put forwarded a recommendation that the government should enact ‘monitoring and supervision rules’ as the monitoring system has not been notified yet.

It further recommended that an independent monitoring unit should be set up like the way it has been established for health and education departments. The report went on to suggest that proper format and guidelines were needed to be shared with administration of all districts so that monitoring reports may be filed accordingly.