Get serious on schedules, infra ministries told

As time and cost overruns in implementation of central sector projects, mainly related to the infrastructure sector, has cost the exchequer dearly, Minister for Programme Implementation M S Gill has written to the coal, steel and shipping ministries to immediately review those where scheduled completion has been delayed by more than a year.

In separate letters to Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma and Shipping Minister G K Vasan, Gill has said his ministry could designate a senior officer to attend the said review meetings.

The ministries have also been asked to furnish specific project-wise reasons for the delay in completion. And, states have been separately asked to constitute central sector project coordination committees, headed by the chief secretary.
 

DELAY DETAILS
Ministry	Total Delayed  projects	1-12* Months	13-24* Months	25-60*  Months	More* Than 60  Months
Coal	19	5	6	7	1
Steel	8	Nil	5	3	Nil
Port	18	8	2	5	3
*The number of months by which completion of a central sector project has been delayed Source: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation

 

On the coal sector, the minister said of the 45 projects (cost of Rs 150 crore), 19 have been delayed, of which five have delayed by a month to a year, while completion of another six projects are delayed by anywhere between 13-24 months.

Completion of seven projects has been delayed by more than 25 months.

“In fact, the Jhanra Longwal UG Phase-2 of Eastern Coalfields Ltd have been delayed by more than 61 months,” the minister said in the letter. He said the coal ministry should immediately review 14 projects, completion of which has been delayed by more than a year.

In steel, says the ministry’s assessment, of the 14 projects monitored by it, completion of almost eight have been delayed, while there is no completion date available for the remaining six. “Among the delayed projects, completion of five have been delayed by 13-24 months, while completion of the remaining three has been delayed by 25-60 months,” the minister said.

Of the 25 projects it monitors, completion of 18 have been delayed and no completion date is available for two projects. Of the 18 projects, completion of eight has been delayed by a month to a year and of two by 13-24 months.

Completion of five projects in the port sector have been delayed by 25-60 months and there are three more delayed beyond five years.

The government in a written reply to Parliament in February had said of the 559 central sector projects, 293, largely in infrastructure, had resulted in cost overrun of Rs 68,000 crore due to delay in completion.