PESHAWAR: The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has introduced e-bidding and e-tendering system in Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department under its e-governance strategy to ensure efficiency and transparency in official matters of the department.

Similarly, work is in progress on e-work order and e-billing system, and by the end of June this year, E-Work Order system will also be introduced in the department.

This was told in a meeting of Public Health Engineering Department held here Thursday with Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan in the chair to review the reform initiatives taken by the Department.

The meeting was further told that purchase of equipment has been completed and hiring of required staff is in progress for introducing Geographic Information System (GIS) in the department. Similarly, restructuring of the department is also in progress to enhance its overall working capacity and under the restructuring of the department, additional 53 officers coupled with other supporting staff have been hired and posted to districts and Tehsil level across the province. With these initiatives there has been a significant improvement in the overall performance, public service delivery and revenue generation of the department.

The chief minister while expressing his satisfaction over the reform initiatives taken so far has directed the quarter concerned to prepare a realistic and viable master plan to resolve the drinking water supply issues on sustainable basis in southern districts further directing that all ongoing developmental and reform activities be completed within the stipulated timeframe.

Briefing about the performance of PHE Department, the forum was told that a total of 154 developmental schemes were being executed though out the province. So far 17 schemes out of total 69 due for completion schemes have been completed adding that master plan has been prepared for settled areas whereas master plan for merged areas was in progress.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021