ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Wednesday strongly urged the government not to assign junior and inexperienced officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) the task of monitoring mega development projects being undertaken by lawmakers in Sindh.
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Housing and Works which met here with Ibadullah in the chair discussed the working and functioning of the Housing Ministry and its subordinate departments.
The members of the committee from Karachi and Hyderabad claimed that development schemes in areas of South Zone Karachi have hit a snag as an inexperienced chief engineer had been posted there to oversee the projects.
They said that experienced officials should be posted in areas where the lawmakers have undertaken development projects as they are supposed to be completed on time. According to them, the development schemes in the constituencies of both MNAs and MPAs are facing a delay as the PWD is entrusting the job to oversee the projects to relatively junior officers.
The committee recommended the government to look into the matter as development schemes should not be delayed, saying the lawmakers could not afford such delays as it gives a bad impression about their performances in their respective areas. The committee also observed that the rates charged by the PWD were higher than those quoted by other federal government departments as well as the Communications and Works Departments of the provinces.
It issued directives to the Housing and Works Ministry to provide a comparative statement of rates charged by the PWD and the other departments – both federal and provincial – in the next meeting.
The committee also directed the director general (DG) PWD to ensure that funds allocated for repair and maintenance of federal government-owned residential accommodations must not be wasted on luxury fittings and fixtures.
It maintained that the residences occupied by low-grade employees should be properly maintained and repaired instead of spending all the funds on the renovation of the senior officers who are capable enough to get their works done.
About the issues concerning cleanliness of rooms and washrooms, rude behavior of kitchen staff, wandering of cats, etc, at Fatima Jinnah Working Women Hostel Islamabad, the committee directed the DG PWD to submit a report by the next meeting by completely resolving the issues.
Regarding the construction of extra accommodation vis-à-vis subletting of official residences in the capital, it directed the DG Estate Office to get completed the long outstanding survey along with measures taken by them for stopping such practices in future and submit a report by the next meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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