High-level committee set up to monitor implementation of infrastructure projects in Puducherry

Stung by criticism, Puducherry gov't sets up five-member committee to review progress of infrastructure projects costing over ₹3 crore bi-monthly. Committee to ensure effective planning, monitoring & timely disbursal of funds to avoid cost escalation & complete projects on time.

Stung by criticism over delays in the execution of infrastructure projects in the Union Territory, and with certain projects not having been completed for over a decade, the territorial administration has constituted a State High Level Committee (SHLC) to monitor the implementation of all such projects.

The five-member committee will review the progress of all infrastructure projects in the U.T. that cost over ₹3 crore, on a bi-monthly basis.

As per a notification issued by the Planning and Research Department last week, the committee will be headed by the Development Commissioner cum Finance Secretary. The other members of the committee will be secretaries of Planning, Revenue, Public Works and the Director of the Planning and Research Department. The Planning and Research Department will be the nodal department that will convene the bi-monthly review meetings.

The committee will also be reviewing the monthly progress report submitted by NABARD Consultancy Services Private Limited (NABCONS), a subsidiary of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. The role of NABCONS comes in, said an official, as the government had entered into an agreement with the subsidiary of NABARD to monitor infrastructure projects executed in the U.T. Following the agreement, a Project Management Unit (PMU) had started functioning in the Planning and Research Department, the official added.

The committee will look into this report and suggest measures to overcome bottlenecks if there are any. The committee will also examine the PMU and discuss the status and progress of all infrastructure projects, mainly those under Centrally Sponsored Schemes, Central Sector Schemes and Negotiated Loans.

The other role of committee, according to the official, would be to obtain administrative approvals for extension of time for projects, look into safety measures while implementing work and to monitor compliance with environment, social and governance norms.

“Basically, the committee will have to ensure effective planning, monitoring and timely disbursal of funds for infrastructure projects. Timely implementation of projects would avoid cost escalation, a point observed several times by the Comptroller and Auditor General in its annual reports,” the official said.