Editorial
IMED findings revealing but academic
Fix responsibility for irregularities and preempt recurrence
IMPLEMENTATION, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Planning Ministry has in its report on projects completed in 2006 unearthed a number of irregularities associated with the implementation of Dhaka Urban Transport Project(DUTP). The project commencing in 1999-2000 fiscal year with majority funding from World Bank, as part of the 20-year Strategic Transport Plan(STP), aimed at an improvement of the city's traffic and transport management system.
Ranging from use of low quality material in road construction through edges and mid-sections of roads having been dug several times to install gas, drainage and telephone lines to deviating from designs, you name it, and it happened with the project!
There are specific instances of irregularities, such as, out of planned 14 bridges, only seven were built, road lengths on physical verification were found shorter than claimed, maintenance cost outstripping allocations by wide margins and substandard materials were abundantly used.
Besides, importantly, there were invariably cost and time overruns.
If this is the way we have handled DUTP what can we expect of the longer-term generic project called the 20-year strategic transport plan?
The lessons learned are to be made use of. The serious lack of coordination between the agencies is the major lesson we have learned. The big mistake is, the agencies that have been involved in the project do not include the utilities like the WASA, Gas and Telephone organisations which are automatically drawn into the picture with their excavation activities. But the list of agencies basically sounds very unwieldy, include as it does, DCC, Roads and Highways, BRTA, DoE, Rajuk and Bangladesh Police.
A more compact and unified body including the utility organisation must be put in place in moving ahead with the implementation of the STP.
The frequent changes of project directors will have to be done away with to bring greater commitment, speed and consistency to bear on project implementation.
The fundament issue relates to building transparency and accountability into the system of project implementation. This can be best ensured if the IMED is strengthened with a high profile, dynamic head of the division and empowered with an autonomous status as an oversight body.
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