ISLAMABAD: Communications Minister Murad Saeed on Sunday reiterated the government’s resolve for bringing transparency, efficiency, maintaining standards and quality in mega infrastructure development projects and ensured their completion within the given time frame to make them cost effective. Addressing a press conference, the minister said that the Ministry of Communications had decided to introduce e-tendering and e-billing system within 60 days, in order to bring transparency and accountability across the board according to the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan to eradicate the menace of corruption from the country. The minister said that it was also decided to conduct third party audit of six mega development projects in the first phase, adding that the cost of these projects had witnessed unprecedented increase and dent in the national exchequers in tune of billions of rupees. Murad Saeed said that another 34 projects had witnessed increase in their cost due to delay in the work and completion within the given time frame, adding that the reasons behind the delay in these projects would be determined and the responsibilities be fixed. In order to implement the prime minister’s austerity drive, the Ministry of Communications would auction all its 42 luxury vehicles along with 177 others, which were used by the high officials of the ministry and would save Rs 30 million used for the maintenance of these vehicles. The minister further informed that the auction process of these luxury vehicles would be completed within a week, besides opening the two guest houses for general public as a tourist resort after upgrading these places in collaboration with the private sector on Build, Operate & Transfer (BOT) basis. He said that the lake in front of these guest houses would also be used for the promotion of water sports and revenue generation, adding that an anti-encroachment campaign would also be launched to free the properties and land of National Highways & Motorway. The minister said that his ministry would also contribute to the PM’s billion tree programme in collaboration with other stakeholders, adding that special measures would also be put on place to ensure the survival of these trees. He said that survival audit would also be conducted for these plants. The minister said that in future, the developmental projects would be initiated on BOT and public private partnership mode, keeping focus on the agriculture development, tourism promotion and ensuring environmental protection. The communications’ minster further revealed that initiation of the development projects would help to provide job opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled workforce in the country which would also help in fulfilling the PM’s 10 million job creation vision. Saeed informed that the ministry is also launching a mobile application within 45 days, which would provide the details of the projects including their cost and time of completion and amount released for the projects in order to ensure transparency, enhance sense of ownership by the general public. The National Highways Authority (NHA) would also launch another app called Pasban, which would keep commuters updated about the weather and road conditions across the country to facilitate the passengers as well as making their journey more safe and square. He said that NHA had also worked on two development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, adding that their completion within the given time would be ensured by maintaining the quality of the work alongside. Published in Daily Times, September 24th 2018.