36 ADP projects show poor progress
Five categorised
as expired
UNB
Thirty-six projects witnessed zero to five per cent progress while another five have been categorised as expired and stagnant in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) list although years have elapsed after their approval, reports UNB.
Out of the expired and stagnant five projects, four projects are of Railways Ministry while another of Shipping Ministry, according to a recent report of the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED).
About the expired and stagnant projects, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said these would be delisted from the ADP list.
He said one of the major tasks of the ministry in the current fiscal year would be to delist the projects through declaring those as completed with the already spent amount.
The report said out of the 36 projects that witnessed zero to 5 per cent implementation rate, the highest 11 projects are from the Power Division, followed by five projects from the Railways Ministry, four from Road Transport and Highways Division, three each from Home Ministry, Local Government Division and Industries Ministry, two from Shipping Ministry and one each from Statistics and Informatics Division, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Defence Ministry, Energy and Mineral Resources Division, and Food Ministry.
Six of the projects could not even witness one per cent cumulative expenditure or implementation rate although years have gone by following their approvals.
These projects are construction of 650-metre long RCC deck pre-stressed girder bridge over Andarmanik River under Kalapara upazila in Patuakhali with implementation period from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2016, Teknaf-Shahporir Deep road widening and strengthening project from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2014, Rehabilitation of Kulaura-Shahbazpur section of Bangladesh Railway from June 30, 2011 to December 31, 2012, Construction of 132/33/11 KV grid substation in Desco area from July 1,2013 to June 30, 2017, Conversion of Shahzibazar 2x35 MW power plant to 105 MW combined cycle power plant, January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014 and Prepaid metering project for six NOCS division under DPDC, July 1,2013 to December 31, 2017.
The IMED report said out of the expired and stagnant projects, Outer-bar dredging at Pashur Channel project was approved for the period of July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2011, involving Tk 58.46 crore, no contractors submitted their bids for the dredging works although tenders were floated for five times.
On June 16, 2008, a French company submitted its bid when the tender bids were floated for the 6th time, but since then there has been no progress. The cumulative expenditure of this project till April, 2016 is only Tk 3 lakh which is only 0.05 per cent of the total allocation.
Besides, the Export Infrastructure Development Project approved with a cost of Tk 1140.43 crore for the period of July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2013, is yet to see any expenditure as the project work could not be started since foreign funding could not be ensured.
Apart from this, the report said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved a proposal of the Railways Ministry to delist a project titled Procurement of 264 MG coaches and 2 BG inspection cars involving an estimated cost of Tk 983.25 crore approved earlier for the period of
December 1,2010 to December 31, 2012. The cumulative expenditure of this project till April 2016 was only Tk 3.03 lakh which is only 0.003 per cent.
Analysing the slow-progressed projects, it was found that the Karnaphuli Water Supply Project (2nd phase) was approved for the period of January 1,2014 to December 31, 2016 with en estimated cost of Tk 4491.16 crore, the executing agency could spend only Tk 161.90 crore as cumulative expenditure which is only 4 per cent of the overall allocation.
The cumulative expenditure of National Power Transmission Network Development Project till April 2016 rose to only Tk 119.77 crore or 5 per cent out of the estimated project cost of Tk 2426.60 crore approved for the period of January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2017.
