GUJRAT: The government of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) may have completed two years in power, but the public is of the view that weak governance has adversely affected the performance of public sector departments in bringing any betterment to the lives of the common man.

Talking to this correspondent on Tuesday, some members of the public said Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s era as the chief executive of the province has created an impression that there was no government control over any department due to a lack of check and balance, while service delivery in health, education, law and order, infrastructure development, agriculture and livestock, trade and industry, local government and other administrative affairs has deteriorated, resulting in more corruption and illegal practices.

Syed Haider Ali of Kharian said the government has been unable to introduce any reforms in any sector and there was no fear among government officers of any legal or punitive action against them. Citing a recent unpleasant experience, he said when he visited the Kharian THQ Hospital last week to get his teeth examined he was astonished that the doctor concerned was not present even at 11am.

Citizens complain about heath, police, agri dept performance; corruption

Later, when the doctor examined him he asked him to return a week later for treatment. After this he decided not to visit the hospital again and went to a private doctor instead.

Some other people said that whenever they visited a government hospital they were told about the unavailability of X-ray film, while the doctors and hospital staff would often show unwillingness in attending to patients. However, the patients with references or who could offer bribes would get the attention of doctors and staff.

Malik Tariq, a local trader, said that the law and order situation had worsened in Gujrat district as issues like land grabbing, display of weapons, aerial firing had resurfaced during the last couple of years.

Umar Butt, a school teacher, said that one-wheeling and kite flying were going on unabated, exposing poor control of the authorities concerned, as these activities usually resulted in fatal accidents. Such activities were in control a few years back due to the effective check and balance on the performance of law enforcement agencies.

Mirza Mazhar, a former general councillor from a village near Kunjah, claimed that corruption in the land revenue department had increased manifold in Gujrat. This was proved by the registration of a corruption case against a senior officer of the department a few weeks ago, and corrupt field officers remained posted on key posts in the department.

Citing an example, he said Naib Tehsildar Afzal Bhadar, who was booked by the Anti-Corruption Establishment over illegal state land transfer, could not be removed from his post as revenue officer of Jalalpur Jattan despite standing orders that any officer booked in a corruption case could not get any posting.

Waheed Murad Mirza, a former vice chairman of Railway Road union council, said corruption had increased in health, police, land revenue and other departments in the district during the last two years and none of the officers responsible were held accountable, whereas the PTI kept raising slogans of accountability before coming into power.

He added that civic services had also deteriorated over the years with the poor sewerage and drainage system as well as insanitary conditions in major cities getting worse. People were given assurances in the name of change and reforms, which were nowhere in sight.

Aamir Butt, who has been in the automobile and motorcycle business for two decades, said that he had not witnessed such a huge backlog in the issuance of registration books and registration plates of vehicles as he had during the last year and a half. Thousands of applicants awaited their registration books and number plates for more than a year.

Syed Irfan Jaafri said that without paying bribes or having a reference, citizens could not get their legal rights in government departments where officials were looting people one way or the other. Moreover, Gujrat police was the worst-hit with corruption as officials first won lucrative posts by bribing secretaries of politicians and then looted people with impunity.

Though political interference in the police and other departments was not a new phenomenon, he further said, but it had increased manifold in the last couple of years, not just affecting service delivery, but also resulting in poor law and order.

Dairy farmer Khurram Hussain said the livestock department was one of the most neglected sectors in Punjab despite having so much growth potential. But the veterinary hospitals were in a shambles across the province.

Anwar Warraich, however, said the road infrastructure in rural areas of Gujrat was improving during the past two years with the construction of new metal roads in villages, but that was due to the PML-Q leadership, who managed to get funds for the uplift of road infrastructure.

But, he said, the situation of roads in Gujrat was much dilapidated where such uplift projects were nowhere in sight. The incumbent rulers had also not taken any concrete steps towards resolving the decades-old poor sewerage and drainage system of the city.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2020