PADAT KARYA GAYA BARU : EVALUATION 1977

Under the direction of the Department of Manpower, 182 subprojects were carried-out during the year. A stratified sample of 34 of these subprojects were surveyed by 24 TAP's (village development officers). Their findings are included in the report along with detailed beneficiary information. PKGB has taken on 2 faces: emergency relief and rural infrastructure development. The first provides short-term employment (maintenance activities) in the wake of natural disasters or socio-economic dislocation. The second involves planned, quality construction activities. In 1977 the total was about 450 subprojects with 182 in the planned program. This massive expansion was accomplished by reassigning local staff, decentralizing decision-making, providing funds directly to the area, and a budgetary increase of 400%, but with no increase in Central PKGB staff. During this rapid expansion, recommendations made in 1976 for improvements in basic management were not implemented. Poor execution of work and a lowering of construction standards often resulted from hurried work to meet a deadline or through mobilization of a greater number of daily laborers than could be supervised by existing staff. Of the subprojects surveyed, 6 (18%) were considered to be poor. Delays on 2 reforestation projects resulted in late planting during the dry season and the loss of 80% of the trees. The other 4 were canal projects for irrigation and flood control. Benefits from these subprojects were not maximized because of neglect or poor execution (survey, design, scheduling, workmanship) which could have been controlled by PKGB. Similar faults, to a lesser degree, were found among the 10 subprojects (30%) considered to be fair. 18 (25%) were rated good to excellent. Report recommends that the Department of Public Works provide training to upgrade the para-technical skills of new and old TAP's and that a manual be prepared and courses for local offficials conducted to improve selection of subprojects.