Basic changes needed in project formulation and approval: Planning adviser

Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud has said he wanted to bring some basic changes in the way projects are conceived and approved, but failed to do so due to giving less attention to the Planning Commission.

Any project is formulated in two ways, one is DPP by any ministry and another is from the Planning Commission which is called the Project Evaluation Committee, he told reporters after the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the planning ministry with the chief adviser in the chair.

He mentioned that the government wanted to bring changes as flaws remain in every project after formulating and getting approval following the traditional system.

"Especially in the infrastructure projects it is seen that after the approval infrastructural flaws still remain there," he said.

Wahiduddin, who is also the education adviser, said there is no system to have consultation with the local beneficiaries before taking any local project.

In this connection, he noted that local people usually adopt locally made technologies, while the technology coming from top does not match with the local technology.

Talking about environmental loss, more or less, in any project, Dr Mahmud said environmentalists must be included during the formulation process of any project, as well as the technical persons.

He criticised the bureaucratic system of the project formulation as if the project is a secret matter.

"This is not a good thing at all," he added.

He mentioned that projects are for the people, so they should be more open and must ask for the opinions of the stakeholders, especially in the case of big projects.

"So far it is the failure of the Planning Commission or mine. I've thought about it from the very beginning, but could not advance much till now," he said.