The Comptroller General of the Republic has revealed that to date 1,753 works included in the categories of white elephants, unfinished works and critical projects have been identified throughout the country, with a total value of $15.2 billion pesos.
Of these works, 1,054 have been classified as white elephants or unfinished works, representing a value of $7.02 billion pesos. In addition, 699 projects considered critical projects have been identified, with a value of $8.2 billion pesos.
These figures were presented by the Comptroller General’s Office during the relaunch of the “Colombia Commitment, White Elephants” strategy in the municipality of Arjona, Bolívar. The objective of this strategy is to unlock and rescue critical works without progress throughout the national territory.
The Comptroller’s Office has intensified its monitoring of these projects since the issuance of Law 2020 of 2020, which created the National Registry of Unfinished Works under its responsibility. Through this work, the control body has undertaken a real hunt for white elephants and unfinished works in all departments of the country.
It may interest you: MinTransporte invites taxi drivers to talk
Within the framework of this strategy, the Comptroller’s Office has launched Erario, the elephant that fights against corruption and for the rescue of works. Treasury will tour the country so that citizens can denounce white elephants, unfinished works and critical projects in their regions. Citizen participation is considered by the Comptroller’s Office as one of the main pillars in the fight against corruption.
Under the name “Colombia Commitment, Rescuing White Elephants”, this strategy seeks to recover and put into operation projects that have faced difficulties in their execution or completion, with the objective that the community benefits and public resources are invested effectively.
The detailed analysis of these works reveals that the Transportation sector is the one with the largest amount of committed resources at the national level, with a total of $4.7 trillion. They are followed by Drinking Water and Basic Sanitation ($2.9 billion) and Education ($2.4 billion).
Regarding the number of projects included in the National Diagnosis of White Elephants or Unfinished Works and Critical Projects, the sectors with the greatest presence are Education (433 projects), Drinking Water and Basic Sanitation (319 projects) and Housing, City and Territory ( 252 projects).
In terms of resources committed by department, Valle del Cauca ($2.9 billion) stands out, followed by Antioquia ($1.1 billion) and Tolima ($1.03 billion). Regarding the number of projects, the departments with the greatest presence are Cundinamarca (175), Valle del Cauca (165) and Santander (130).