A news report published in a national daily on Sunday said that the government is failing to check time and cost overruns in development projects as the planning process is flawed along with improper implementation exercises. It also said the Planning Commission often compromises on flawed and overvalued projects placed by implementing agencies due to political reasons, creating scopes for corruption and causing wastage of funds.
Economists and experts largely blamed poor planning and flawed feasibility studies by implementing agencies and also improper scrutiny by the Planning Commission for development projects becoming laggard. The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) under the Planning Ministry has identified improper work plans, low capacity and lengthy procurement process, among other reasons, for the unwarranted situation. However ministries and divisions largely overlook the findings. It is said that political will is imperative to bring about changes in ensuring proper planning and implementation of development projects.
According to them, the cost and time overruns of development projects could be checked if the feasibility studies and the work plans were formulated and carried out properly. They made mention of the project for the relocation of the tannery industry to Savar from the city’s Hazaribagh area, blaming a poor work plan and lack of implementation skills among bureaucrats in carrying out the project, which turned into one of the most time-consuming projects in the country’s history. It took an abnormally long 19-year period to complete the project after its deadline was extended at least a dozen times with the cost raised to Tk 1,015 crore from the original estimate of Tk 175 crore. Still, the solid waste management component of the project remains unfinished.
In February 2021, the executive committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved a staggering hike in the cost of a Local Government and Rural Division project by Tk 2,530.43 crore, the original cost of which was Tk 3,926 crore. The duration of the project to build 130 bridges in 94 upazilas of 40 districts, undertaken in 2016, was also extended by four years till 2024. Similarly, the deadlines of many other projects were extended. The cost and time overruns of development projects reflect ineptness and efficiency of the administration which need to be urgently addressed.
