Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal has said that delay in development projects completion is not tolerable and the administrative secretary of the department concerned would be held accountable in case of any delay in this regard.
Presiding over a meeting to review the mid-year progress of the annual development programme (ADP) at the Planning and Development Department, the chief secretary said that there should be no lapse of funds, allocated for the uplift schemes. He said that all departments should work hard to ensure timely and transparent utilisation of funds.
The chief secretary said that a mechanism should be devised to further accelerate the process of release of funds and the higher authorities be informed immediately in case of any hindrance in completion of projects. He said that only public interest should be taken into consideration while preparing uplift schemes, adding that the departments should cooperate for acquisition of the government land for schools, hospitals, and other welfare schemes.
The CS also issued instructions to the departments for immediate issuance of pending work orders. He said that all administrative secretaries should regularly review the development schemes of their respective departments.
Chairman P&D Abdullah Khan Sumbal briefed the meeting about the allocations, releases, and utilization of funds. The administrative secretaries of all the departments attended the meeting while the additional chief secretary and secretaries of south Punjab participated through video-link.
Separately, the chief secretary presided over a video-link meeting of all divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners at the Civil Secretariat to review prices of essential commodities including flour, sugar, availability of fertilizers, and measures against smuggling. The chief secretary directed the officers to continue monitoring fertilizers supply and stocks through the online portal. He mentioned that the divisional commissioners could shift fertilizers to districts in their regions as and when required. He said that crackdown on those involved in the hoarding of fertilizers and profiteering should be continued.
The CS directed the deputy commissioners of bordering districts to keep a close watch on the smuggling of wheat.
