Quality control: P&D dept condemns substandard work

Action will be taken against officers and engineers doing poor work.

KARACHI: Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah has directed the officials of the Planning and Development (P&D) Department to monitor the departmental schemes and in case they find the work substandard, the matter should be referred to the anti-corruption department for an inquiry.

He said this while presiding over a P&D department meeting at Chief Minister House on Wednesday. The meeting took notice of the substandard work done on roads, buildings, irrigation, public health engineering and others. The CM said that the department regularly reviews the physical and financial progress of development schemes and observes whether the MPAs are carrying out their priority programmes.

Schemes which are more than 55% complete should be finished as soon as possible. He said that Rs40 million are being allocated to each MPA to execute development schemes in their respective areas.

“In rural areas, a scheme of Mother and Child Care Centres will be initiated, the estimated cost is Rs5 million, which will be spent from the MPA’s development scheme fund,” said the CM.

He told the P&D officers that they should sign agreements with agencies that have foreign funds for solar energy components schemes. The meeting was informed that the federal government is installing 7,500 tube-wells in the country, out of which 500 tube wells will be powered with solar energy.

The meeting took notice of pitching at the Nusrat Canal in Benazirabad, the road from Dubber to Rohri Bypass, the road from Haleji M.P. check post up to 3/3 FFR, the road from Kotdiji, Tando Masti Wada Mahesar Ahmedpur road and other schemes.

During the meeting the CM also expressed concerns about the Law College building at Hala in the Mitiari district, the expansion of Qasimabad Hospital, the establishment of Bari Goat breeding and Research Farm, the rehabilitation of 7 Watch Towers in Districts Jail Sanghar and the reconstruction of peons colony behind Shahbaz building in Hyderabad. The meeting was informed that Asian Development Bank, World Bank, European Union, US AID, Japan Social Development Fund, Japan International Cooperation Agency, UNICEF, Italian Debt Swap Agreement have funded many schemes in various sectors.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 11^th, 2011.