ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Office has announced the formation of a high-level committee tasked with drafting a transition plan for the dissolution of the Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD).

The committee is headed by the Minister for Housing and Works and also includes the Planning Commission’s deputy chairman and the secretaries for establishment and power divisions.

The committee is scheduled to present its findings and recommendations shortly after the Eidul Azha holidays.

This decision comes in the wake of directives from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who on June 3 called for the abolition of the PWD, citing its long-standing poor performance and corruption issues.

Panel headed by housing minister will present its findings after Eid

The committee’s terms of reference (ToRs) include creating a strategy to dismantle the PWD and develop alternative models for managing public sector development projects to ensure more efficient resource utilisation.

The committee will also recommend strategies for maintaining assets currently managed by the PWD and overseeing ongoing projects during and after the transition period. Additionally, it will outline prospects for the department’s employees.

The formation of this committee is based on the government’s broader plan to reduce expenditures and the size of the government infrastructure.

However, the decision has sparked significant unrest among PWD employees, who have started protest demonstrations at the department’s headquarters in Islamabad and its regional offices nationwide.

The employees have formed a joint action committee to organise protests across the country and engage with influential authorities, including politicians, to pursue their cause.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Housing and Works has written a letter to the PWD’s director general, seeking detailed performance and workforce as well as financial position of the department.

The PWD has 16 circles in four zones across the country, and the details sought by the housing ministry include a brief history and introduction of the PWD, the legal framework applicable, grade-wise sanctioned and working strength of employees, and budgetary details of employee-related and non-employee-related expenditures in the last five years.

The PWD, established in July 1854 with Lord Robert Napier as its first chief engineer, has been responsible for all civil, military, and public engineering works in the country.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2024