LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has ordered the chief secretary to identify delays in approval of the proposed legislation on the Land Record Authority (LRA) and report to him within 48 hours.

It is learnt the Punjab government wanted to present the Land Record Authority’s draft law in the ongoing session of the Punjab Assembly, which was prorogued on Monday.

Asserting urgency, the chief minister presided over a meeting and reviewed progress on the Land Record Management Information System (LRMIS), which aims at making the masses’ land rights secure and improve investment climate by reducing the potential for disputes.

The LRMIS project is being executed by the Board of Revenue with financial assistance of the World Bank.

The chief minister directed the planning and development chairman to approach the World Bank asking it for a panel of three reputed international consultants for undertaking an assessment as to how the LRMIS project has progressed, especially its utility for the common man, transparency, accountability of its operations and achievement of objectives and targets. The chief minister has given two weeks to the P&D chairman for completing the task.

Following discussion, the chief minister directed the P&D chairman and LRMIS Project Management Unit (PMU) to withdraw the October 19 letter “providing for postings of tehsildars/revenue officers in record centres (ARCs) on temporary basis” and submit details of all postings and transfers whereby revenue officers were adjusted temporarily against such positions.

The chief minister also constituted a committee headed by additional chief secretary and comprising Chief Minister’s Inspection Team member and services secretary to evaluate the nature of disciplinary actions taken by the LRMIS PMU. The committee will also be required to look into the nature of cases referred to the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) by the LRMIS and submit its finds within five days.

Mr Sharif also asked the P&D chairman to hold forensic audit, through an independent agency, of the figures presented by the PMU indicating monitoring checks as well as citizens’ feedback. He sought a report on this subject within two weeks.

In order to evaluate the system in depth, the chief minister also constituted another three-member committee headed by CMIT chairman to conduct a comprehensive audit of the recruitments made in the PMU. The committee comprising services and regulations secretaries, has been asked to submit its findings within a week.

Expecting substantial progress on his directions, the chief minister has called another meeting on the subject on October 29.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2016

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