Dissecting the Joint Sector

of changes in estimates over those contained in the feasibility reports and delays in construction and commissioning of projects, even as procedures and methods have been insisted upon which would necessarily result in cost escalation and delays. The criticism has become more strident lately and now has come the move to change the policy itself and go back to turnkey arrangements with foreigners. To justify the change in policy, invidious comparisons are being drawn, without regard to the vastly different operational conditions in the two instances, between the time taken for putting up some of the plants in the private sector with foreign collaboration and that taken in building public sector plants. Particularly, the delay in the erection and commissioning of the Durgapur fertiliser project has been used as a handy weapon to decry the work of the FCI.