Power minister sacks 7 NTDC officials over ‘negligence, unnecessary project delays’

Federal Power Minister Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari has ordered the immediate removal of seven senior National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) officials, including a Deputy Managing Director, two General Managers, a Chief Financial Officer, and three Chief Engineers, for “negligence and unnecessary delays” in ongoing projects, according to a statement from Power Division on Wednesday.

The decisive action follows a performance review meeting where the minister expressed grave concern over costly setbacks in the state-run power utility’s operations.

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“The NTDC board has been directed to show zero tolerance for delays,” Leghari declared, emphasizing that project inefficiencies were costing the nation “billions of rupees.”

The minister had earlier demanded an inquiry during the review meeting into why critical transmission and dispatch initiatives remained behind schedule.

An NTDC board meeting subsequently identified systemic failures in project planning and execution.

Investigations revealed that the Planning Wing – led by the now-ousted Deputy MD, two GMs, and CFO – had repeatedly failed to meet deadlines.

The board issued immediate “OSD” (awaiting posting orders) directives for these officials, while three Chief Engineers were stripped of their positions for “dereliction of duty.”

Additionally, the NTDC Managing Director has been given a two-week deadline to take disciplinary action against other negligent staff, including managers and deputy managers.

The board also approved a new strategy to overhaul organizational workflows and address chronic weaknesses in project implementation.

“Every delay in these projects directly harms Pakistan’s economy,” the Power Minister warned, underscoring the government’s resolve to hold officials accountable.

The crackdown signals the government’s push to streamline the energy sector amid rising scrutiny over infrastructure bottlenecks.