Unapproved ADP projects

The block allocation of Tk 295 crore for these extra projects is really neither here nor there. Almost all of this money will go down the drain, as many of the projects are non-viable, and even the viable ones will be under-funded, as the amount earmarked for them has been set more or less at random.

This inclusion of unapproved projects in the ADP and the provision for nebulous extra projects is a perennial problem that must be addressed.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

The first thing to note about the 103 unapproved projects is that they were initially included largely due to pressure from lobbyists or to satisfy some political constituency. It was due to the compromised nature of these projects and their dubious value that they did not receive formal approval in the first place.

The problem here is two-fold. The first is that there is obviously a long-standing lack of co-ordination between the finance ministry and the planning ministry. Until and unless this is sorted out, the ADP will never be fully implemented, as has been the case year after year.

The other problem is the lobbying and politicking that the planning ministry is subjected to, which leads to this kind of anarchy in the implementation of the ADP, and results in the under-utilisation or non-utilisation of ADP funds. It is this kind of pressure that is the root cause of the difficulties in ADP implementation in the first place.

Stricter co-ordination between the two ministries concerned, and a serious effort to ensure that projects of a dubious nature are not included in the ADP, seem to us to be a reasonable expectation.