Cold weather brings development works to a standstill

CHITRAL, Jan 17: Delayed release of funds and suspension of work during the extended winter season have been affecting development projects in Chitral. According to the public works department’s code, the allocated funds for the fiscal year should be spent by June 30 otherwise the amount got lapsed. An official of the public works department told this correspondent on condition of anonymity that the June 30 deadline could work in case of plain areas, but in hilly areas like Chitral the work on the sites was stopped for over four months in winter and the contractors were left with little time to complete the projects. “After the budget allocation for different public works in July the procedural formalities are completed by November and tenders called in December, but the contractors here cannot start work before April due to harsh winter weather. As a result, the contractors are hardly left with two months to show progress and consume the allocated budget during the fiscal year,” the official explained. He said that work on the project sites was stopped when the funds got lapsed being unutilised by end of the fiscal and it took a long time to reallocate the amount from the finance department. A government contractor, Afzal Baig, said that it was almost impossible to complete even a small scheme like construction of a primary school building of two rooms in three months. He listed Abdul Wali Khan bypass road, girls degree college Drosh, Booni-Mastuj road and Khandan irrigation channel as projects which should have been completed four years ago. Mr Baig said that the delay in completion of schemes had also been resulting in cost escalation of projects. He said that the contractors’ going into litigation for claiming additional costs further complicated the situation. He said that to ensure timely completion of schemes in Chitral the provincial finance department should give the district a special status and release its funds on preferential basis in the early months of the fiscal year. When contacted, deputy commissioner, Chitral, Aminul Haq said that he would try his best to get the hurdles to the projects removed during the forthcoming fiscal year. He said that he had always taken up the issue at the relevant forum to get the development funds released well in time.–Zahiruddin]]>