On Wednesday, the Prime Minister told the parliament about these steps in response to a question from Member of Parliament Md. Mobashwer Alam Bhuiyan of Comilla-10 constituency. The session was presided over by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed.
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Government's 13-point steps to prevent time and cost overruns in development projects
The Prime Minister said there are various reasons behind time and cost overruns in projects, including weak feasibility studies, lack of accurate cost estimates, delays in land acquisition and utility shifting, delays in procurement processes, failure to appoint project directors in time, and a lack of inter-ministerial coordination.
To address the problem, initiatives have been taken to conduct precise feasibility studies before taking up new projects, to ensure quick implementation preparedness after project approval, and to introduce a dashboard for monitoring the progress of ongoing projects.
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Besides, directives have been given to increase regular project reviews and field-level supervision, strengthen coordination in land acquisition and utility shifting, and if a project is not completed within the stipulated time, investigate the reasons for delay and cost overrun and take action against those responsible.
The Prime Minister also informed that projects with less than 30 percent progress will be reviewed for their necessity and effectiveness and rearranged or have their scope changed; cluster projects will be taken up under integrated programmes instead of scattered projects; and the use of e-GP in public procurement will be expanded.
Alongside this, initiatives have been taken to give importance to professional qualifications and experience in appointing project directors, emphasize public-private partnership projects, and update the Public Procurement Rules to increase competition and accountability in public procurement.