PESHAWAR: A high-level meeting chaired by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur was held via video link on Tuesday to review the financial and physical progress of development projects under the District Development Plans (DDPs) and District Development Initiative (DDI).
Senior officials, including Advisor on Finance Muzzammil Aslam, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, and Additional Chief Secretaries Ikramullah and Muhammad Abid Majeed, were in attendance.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister directed concerned departments to ensure the early release of required funds to facilitate the timely completion of ongoing projects. It was also decided in principle to release Rs. 12 billion as bridge financing under the Accelerated Implementation Programme (AIP) for the merged districts, with the matter to be placed before the provincial cabinet for formal approval.
The Chief Minister expressed serious concern over the federal government’s delay in releasing AIP funds. He emphasized that development in the merged districts is a federal responsibility, which the federal government has failed to fulfill. He noted that the provincial government is currently utilizing its own resources to fund these projects in order to mitigate public hardship and warned that continued neglect would further exacerbate local challenges. To address this issue, he stated that the provincial government would develop a strategy in consultation with the elected representatives of the merged districts.
Gandapur reaffirmed that there would be no compromise on transparency, merit, or quality in the execution of development schemes. He underscored the importance of effective planning, fast-track implementation, prudent use of funds, elimination of duplication, and institutional capacity building as key pillars of sustainable development. In this regard, he directed that the entire project cycle be digitized to improve efficiency and accountability.
He made it clear that unnecessary delays in project execution would not be tolerated and called for the strengthening of existing monitoring mechanisms to ensure adherence to quality standards and timelines.
