SIALKOT: Asian Development Bank (ADB) delegation headed by its Coordinator Umer Ali Shah met Deputy Commissioner Sialkot Adnan Mehmood Awan in his office here on Tuesday. ADB Coordinator Imran Sikandar Baloch, Consultant ADB Rehan Arsalan, PD PICIIP Hamza Salik, DPD Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program (PICIIP) Talha Zubair, PICIIP Chief Engineer Sheikh Tahir, Administrator Municipal Corporation Muhammad Iqbal, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) General Syed Asad Raza Kazmi, City Manager Ali Khan and Consultant National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) Saifullah and local officials of the departments concerned were also present on the occasion. In the meeting, the progress of work on the ongoing projects of construction of water, sanitation and waste water treatment plant in Sialkot city with the collaboration of Punjab government and Asian Development Bank was reviewed.
Deputy Commissioner Adnan Mehmood Awan said that there was an urgent need to increase the pace of ongoing development projects under PICIIP so that sewage schemes could be completed as soon as possible. He said the work of laying the Paris road sewerage line under PICIIP was being completed rapidly. The DC said the speed of work on the waste water treatment project on Airport Road was very slow. The project was an important component of the sanitation project and delay in its completion may lead to delay in the project. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) officials told the Deputy Commissioner that instructions had been issued to National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) consultants to improve the speed of work on ongoing development projects under Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Programme (PICIIP). They said that contractors had been given clear instructions to follow the timeline for the completion of PICIIP projects, otherwise legal action would be taken. Later, the Asian Development Bank team visited the ongoing projects in the city and reviewed the pace and quality of work.