07 January 2004	Wednesday	14 Ziqa'ad 1424

KARACHI, Jan 6: Adviser to the chief minister on health will make public on Wednesday the findings of the inquiry into the fire that broke out in the offices of the health department on Saturday. Between 3,000 and 4,000 files were destroyed in the incident.

Noman Saigal, who came from abroad on Monday, announced this after inspecting the offices on Tuesday afternoon. He said the inquiry report would be cross-checked by him.

"Not only will we make the findings public but I will personally check if the findings are correct because I don't want to rely solely on the health department officials," he told a group of journalists.

Mr Saigal said on the face of it the fire was accidental. "But I am keeping an open mind about this affair." During his visit Mr Saigal was told that no fire-fighting equipment was available on the floor where the fire broke out. And only one guard was on duty when the incident took place in the early hours of Saturday.

Mr Saigal, who was accompanied by some reporters, asked the health department officials to get copies of the files destroyed from other departments. "This work should be completed within thirty days."

He asked the department officials to involve some electricians and construction consultants in the inquiry. He also instructed them to inform him of the total number of files lost.

The adviser to the chief minister reminded the health department officials that smoking had been banned by both the federal and the provincial government. "Yet I have come to know that some people continue to smoke in this department."

He said the person found smoking in the department would be suspended immediately. "The moment I come to know that such a such person continues to smoke, I will issue a suspension order."

Mr Saigal was told that the files lost in the fire belonged to the department's budget, women medical officers, commission-I officers and specialist doctors sections. The annual confidential reports of the staff were among the lost files.

However, some files on which disciplinary actions were pending remained safe. Some computers, printers and typewriters were also damaged. The fire which was noticed by the duty guard at about 4am was extinguished by 7am. The senior officials of the department came to know of the incident only when they reported for work on the morning of Saturday.

POLICY-MAKERS: Some bureaucrats are exploiting the confusion and uncertainty over the devolution plan to their advantage. This was stated by Adviser on Health to the Chief Minister, Noman Saigal, on Tuesday. Speaking to a group of journalists in his office he claimed that these people presented a different picture to those who ran the district government and an entirely different one to the provincial ministers and advisers.

Mr Saigal claimed that 'feudal lords' and some bureaucrats had formed an 'unholy alliance' which worked to maintain the status quo. "Since taking the charge as adviser, I have been facing resistance from these people who don't want any change for the better in the health department," he said. "In the rural areas I have been facing resistance from the 'feudal lords' and in Karachi and Hyderabad from some bureaucrats." He said whenever he took a stand, technical issues were raised so that status quo was maintained.

Giving an example, Mr Saigal said procurement people seemed intent on rewarding the purchase orders to a handful of companies. "Tell me, why are purchase orders given to only a few selected firms. Why not to you and me."

Citing another example, he said two section officers had been transferred recently without his knowledge. The adviser, with a rank of provincial minister, claimed that even a driver could not be dismissed easily by a minister.

"We never know who has the backing of the influential people." Answering a question, Mr Saigal denied that he had indulged in wrongdoing. "I can assure you that my hands are clean. However, there may be certain people who may be using my name to achieve whatever they want for themselves."

He admitted that the situation obtaining in the health department was far from perfect. "But the whole department is going down the drain not because of me but because my efforts are thwarted. "Now the time has come to get some work done, some result-oriented work. If we don't break the cycle now, we may never be able to."