Federal govt accelerates transfer of PWD projects to provinces

ISLAMABAD: After disbanding the Public Works Department (PWD) a few months ago, the federal government on Tuesday decided to speed up the process of transferring development projects to the provinces.

The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Prof Ahsan Iqbal, attended by Secretary Planning and senior provincial officials, to transfer the PSDP-funded projects to the provincial governments without delay. It was decided to do.

The minister said only the projects are being transferred while funding under the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) will continue.

He directed the provinces to submit the names of the ministries overseeing these projects within a week.

He said that ongoing PWD projects in Islamabad would also be handed over to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and concerned ministries, clarifying that the projects were not terminated but reassigned to different agencies.

The minister said that Balochistan has already completed the necessary formalities, and other provinces will have to provide complete required details within a week.

He said that the aim of the committee is to remove legal hurdles and ensure timely completion of projects.

To facilitate speedy transfer of projects to provinces, he said deputy commissioners at the district level would act as focal persons. He along with PWD and concerned agencies will randomize the contracts within four to five days and get no objection certificate from the contractors.

“This decision is expected to ensure timely completion of development projects, which will ultimately benefit the people,” the minister remarked.