–Project Director Arif Mansoor Qasarani says he was unaware of the approved objectives
LAHORE: In another episode of exposing incompetence and carelessness, Pakistan Today on Tuesday learnt that the project management unit (PMU) of the energy department not only failed to meet its objectives but the project director himself was unaware of the approved objectives.
In order to ensure a steady and continuous workflow, the provincial energy department had proposed the establishment of PMU for the department’s capacity-building. However, another interpretation of the PMU’s establishment reveals that the initiative was taken to be a stakeholder in the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) loan disbursement as the lender had approved a loan of $83.69 million for increasing access to clean energy in Punjab.
One of the primary objectives of PMU was to identify the projects for ADP and help in the preparation of PC-I/II for the projects. Another objective was to oversee the procurement processes of the energy department and its dependent entities. It also aimed to carry out research to identify new technologies and opportunities in the energy sector. Similarly, it also aimed to provide technical assistance to the energy department in the implementation of projects.
PMU was formed to provide support and assistance in legal and regulatory affairs related to the power sector and to act as the means of technical support for the energy department when required. It was originally decided that the progress of projects financed by ADB would be regularly monitored and evaluated to ensure that all those projects are in line with the work programme and the growth strategy.
PMU was established by the energy department after it was approved in the year 2017 whereas the project was initially approved by the departmental development sub-committee (DDSC) in February 2017 but was revised in May 2018.
The team under this project consists of specialists in procurement, financials, information technology, energy, environment and social safety, policy planning, monitoring and evaluation, legal affairs, internal auditing. The charge for looking after the affairs of the team was given to the chief financial officer of Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power Company Limited, Badarul Munir.
According to the evaluation report issued recently by the Directorate General Monitoring and Evaluation (DGME), the project failed to achieve its objectives and there was some confusion regarding the reasons for PMU’s establishment. “Khadim-e-Punjab Ujaala Program (KPUP) (South Punjab) was the only project under the implementation by PMU. The main objective of the PMU was to identify projects for ADP and help in preparation of PC-I/II for the projects whereas KPUP is the only project under implementation by the PMU energy department which was not even identified by PMU. Similarly another objective of the PMU was to carry out the research to identify new technology and opportunities in energy sector whereas no researches were carried out to identify new technologies and also no identification of new opportunities was observed in energy sector by PMU,” the report stated.
“The purpose of establishment of PMU was to create procurement unit, internal audit unit and strengthening program management unit whereas the department unable to create the internal audit unit and the staff position of manager whereas the post of assistant manager internal audit are still vacant. It was observed that 23 posts are still vacant. As the total number of posts were increased from 36 to 45 after revision of PC-I but only 22 persons were hired against the proposed project posts,” the report added.
The report further revealed that there is a discrepancy in the financial data provided by the department. “The cost/budget estimates of original PC-I/revised PC-I (Rs309.575015 million) and the actual approved cost (Rs309.58 million). The approved cost was increased without any details of estimates Rs5,000,” the report concluded.
Pakistan Today attempted to reach out to Badarul Munir but he excused himself from giving any statement, adding that he had left PMU eight months ago and Arif Mansoor Qasarani is the current project director.
Interestingly, Pakistan Today discovered that Arif Mansoor Qasarani was not only totally unaware of the project’s goals and objectives but he also had a totally different vision regarding PMU’s scope.
“I serve here in the capacity of a borrowed person. I am not here from the start as I joined in November 2018 and most of the matters and hiring issues are before me. PMU is a different programme and has a specific scope. It was not proposed to identify the projects for ADP and to help in preparation of PC-I/II for the projects. PMU has no scope to provide technical help to the energy department in the implementation of the projects because it is limited to its own programme,” he said.
“We are not supposed to provide support and assistance in legal and regulatory affairs related to the power sector,” he concluded.
