IMED sends distress calls as its advice remains ignored

The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) has sent distress signals to ministries and divisions, seeking steps "for the sake of national interests", as the agency's recommendations over taking up development projects and their implementation remain largely ignored.

Referring to long-standing issues such as projects without feasibility, recurring land acquisition troubles stemming from flawed project plans, not appointing fulltime and skilled project directors and their absence at the sites, the IMED notes that these problems are pushing up both project costs and implementation deadlines, depriving people of intended development benefits.

The IMED – an agency under the Ministry of Planning – identified almost the same issues three decades ago and asked the ministries and divisions to resolve those. But the advice turned out to be largely ignored as a recent letter mentioned the same points again.

According to the Allocation of Business Rules, the monitoring agency can only put forward recommendations. It cannot punish any project implementing body even if there are hundreds of flaws and irregularities in any development work.

Same old story

The IMED letter to the ministries and divisions mentioned seven issues in the project planning phase and eight in the implementation stage. A report of the agency prepared after assessing the annual development project for the fiscal 1987-88 had almost the same points.

The 1987-88 report said 150 of 860 projects faced hiccups owing to issues related to project directors, while funding problems constrained 154 projects. The IMED then recommended that the authorities consider financial capacity before taking up a project.

Delays in development project proposal approval, tender, procurement, land acquisition, supply of construction materials, appointing project directors and officials, formulation and approval of designs, loan agreements, and disbursing funds were identified as the major obstacles in the old report.

In the report, Group Captain (retd) Sayed Ahmad, the then acting additional secretary of the IMED, said, "In addition to the IMED, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have identified the obstacles and recommended solutions, but implementing agencies have not paid any heed."

In 1988-89, the IMED flagged 13 obstacles such as projects without feasibility, recruitment of unskilled workforce, frequent transfers of project directors and more projects than capacity.

After more than 30 years, the 2019-20 IMED report had almost the same obstacles mentioned, while it put forward 19 recommendations.

After Group Captain (retd) Sayed Ahmad, some 30 secretary-level officials led the IMED, and all of them had urged the ministries and divisions to address almost the same issues. But the recommendations have remained largely disregarded for the past 33 years.

Advice ignored as IMED can't force

The fact that ministries do not listen to IMED recommendations also came up in several reports by the agency.

"Ministries and divisions do not take IMED-flagged issues and recommendations into account seriously," reads its 2012-13 report, demanding guidelines that would enable it to force the project authorities to play by the rules.

The agency in 2008-09 and 2010-11 also came up with the demand, but to no avail.

Even the prime minister issued a set of directives to project authorities, but the ministries are not following those showing an excuse of "manpower crisis".

Against this backdrop, development experts suggested increasing the IMED's capacity and to enable it in forcing ministries and divisions to comply with the recommendations. They suggested stern action such as halting money flow to projects if IMED recommendations are flouted.

Strengthening IMED still remains elusive

Despite facing ignorance time and again, the IMED says it continues flagging project flaws and noting recommendations so that the errant project individuals or authorities can get corrected.

Planning Minister MA Mannan said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called for enhancing the capacity of the IMED on several occasions. Recommendations included opening IMED offices at divisions to oversee the ongoing projects. But, obstacles started sprouting as soon as an initiative for this was taken up.

"The prime minister's order is still in effect and efforts are underway to set up IMED wings," he said.

Saber Hossain Chowdhury, a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Planning, expressed disappointment over a "feeble IMED".

"Although there have been talks for a long time about strengthening the IMED, in reality there is no reflection of it," he said.

Zahid Hussain, former lead economist of the World Bank Dhaka office, said development works would be disciplined remarkably if the project authorities take note of IMED recommendations.

He advocated for stopping money flow to projects if IMED recommendations are flouted.

IMED Secretary Abu Hena Morshed Zaman said it would not be fair to say all ministries and divisions are not interested in implementing the IMED's recommendations.

"Despite having the interest, it is not possible for many to implement those owing to different reasons," he said.