When a development project stalls in Balochistan, the province pays twice. The first cost falls on communities that must wait longer for a road, a water supply scheme, a school, or a health facility. The second falls on the public budget. As the price of materials, machinery, and labor rises, the same work can cost more by the time it resumes. When funds lapse at the end of the financial year, residents lose time and the province may have to find more money to deliver the same project.
Delayed Projects Cost Balochistan Twice
A review chaired by Balochistan Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan brought the issue into focus. Officials told the meeting that 14 of the province’s 34 strategic projects had been completed and that work was continuing on the remaining 20. The chief secretary directed departments to resolve bottlenecks, speed up work, and complete projects on schedule while maintaining quality and transparency.
The next review should show what changed on the ground. For each project, the responsible department should identify who is accountable for delivery, set a realistic completion date, and report both spending and physical progress. Comparing the two can show where funds have been released but work has stalled, or where work is ready to proceed but a decision is holding it up. Where allocations lapse, departments should explain the cause and what they will do before the next budget cycle. Where negligence is established, accountability should follow.
Meeting a deadline also means delivering work that lasts. A road that deteriorates soon after opening or a water scheme that breaks down for lack of maintenance can put the same community back where it started. Quality checks and maintenance funding belong in the project plan from the outset.
In a province where many communities already face gaps in basic services, timely delivery can shorten journeys, improve access to care and education, and create opportunities for local workers and businesses. The test of the chief secretary’s review is whether the remaining projects reach the people they were funded to serve, on schedule and in working order.
