BAHAWALPUR: The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), Bahawalpur, is knee-deep in administrative and financial crisis leading to the non--provision of basic facilities to the general public.

The local PHA has been without director general the last four months. With funds from the annual allocation also not coming, the PHA has virtually become dysfunctional.

Since its establishment three years ago, the government failed to appoint its regular DG. The deputy commissioner was given the additional charge of the DG.

The current state of poor affairs within the PHA began in May 2018 with the transfer of its officiating director-general (DG) and since then, the caretaker Punjab government, despite reminders, failed to assign the charge of DG to Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ayub Khan.

PHA Director Rana Qaddafi expressed his inability to say anything about the internal matters of the government department. He said the PHA was in tight corner due to its financial matters to meet its expenditure even of its establishment and the diesel expenses of its vehicles as the government had asked it to meet its expenses with its own resources -- with publicity fee from advertisements.

He said the private sector preferred electronic media for marketing their products instead of erecting hoardings, penaflexes at busy thoroughfares.

He said the PHA faced numerous administrative matters which could only be solved in the presence of the DG. He expressed the hope that caretaker government might examine the issue and issue orders in this respect. He said due to PHA’s limited income, it could not maintain the parks properly to the expectation of the citizens.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2018