'Inefficient' provincial parliament branch project scrapped
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The project to establish provincial branches of the Parliament has been scrapped due to cost inefficiency and legal snags, National Legislative Assembly chairman Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said yesterday.
Pornpetch, who chairs the committee on NLA affairs, said the committee resolved to disband the project, which had been implemented in six provinces as a pilot project.
The project was launched in 2012 with a goal to enhance the people's participation in politics and the country's administration by having the provincial offices receive inputs from the provincial people.
He said the committee’s evaluation found that the project was not worth the money and not as beneficial as expected. It also encountered legal issues with the project. The committee would discuss the legal issues and may consider reviving plan.
He said officials dispatched to work in the provinces under the project would be recalled to work at the central government.
Sources said the legal issues involved hiring private companies to renovate offices in the provinces, as the project did not have proper procurement contracts, resulting in delays.
The Secretariat of the Senate and the Office of the Auditor-General Senate have looked into the issues.
