The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has ordered the freezing of 517 development projects worth Rs. 469 billion in the current developmental program. These projects include both approved and yet-to-be-approved initiatives, however work cannot commence even after their approval because of financial issues.
According to the documents, after reviewing 2,187 development projects, the Department of Planning and Development has recommended the freezing of these projects for a period of five months. Among these projects, there are 375 projects that were part of the development program for the fiscal year 2022-23, but they have not received approval from the relevant forum yet. A token amount of Rs. 1,000 will be allocated to incorporate these projects into the development program.
Similarly, 142 ongoing projects will also be suspended, with an estimated cost exceeding Rs. 141 bn. A budget of Rs. 9 billion has been allocated for these projects. However, work on these initiatives will not commence until November, even though they have already received approval from the respective forum.
The KP government has also decided not to approve any new projects during the oversight period of the caretaker government in the fiscal year 2023-24. Projects that have been approved but have not yet issued tenders will not progress further, and no tenders will be issued for them.
Likewise, projects that have received approval but have not commenced work will not be initiated, and work orders will not be issued for them. The allocated funds for the suspended projects will remain unchanged, and projects that have not been approved under the umbrella scheme will not be presented for approval. However, the Department of Planning and Development will be able to approve highly significant projects.
A large number of development projects were left in limbo after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ended its government in the province. Only one meeting of the Provincial Development Working Party was held afterward, in which only highly significant projects were approved. Due to the lack of approval from the PDWP, these projects have faced delays.
