ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reviewed the legal aspects and final procedures regarding the closing down of the Public Works Department (PWD) on Sunday, emphasising the importance of re-employing diligent and honest employees with short service tenures and suggesting that age relaxation be considered in these cases.

Chairing a meeting attended by several ministers, PM Shehbaz made it clear that the financial package for employees being laid off due to the dissolution would not be extended to individuals who have been found guilty of serious corruption charges, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

He also directed that a comprehensive plan for transferring ongoing projects under the PWD to provincial authorities and relevant departments be submitted as soon as possible.

The premier instructed that all final proposals related to the PWD’s dissolution should be presented before the cabinet for approval.

pm sets one-month deadline for govt offices to switch to paperless system

The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Economic Affairs Division Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Housing and Works Riaz Hussain Pirzada and senior officials of the relevant departments.

PM Shehbaz ordered authorities to close down the PWD due to “poor performance and corruption” over the years. The plan came as the government aims to shut down loss-making departments as part of its drive to cut expenditures.

The prime minister observed at the time that the PWD as a department had failed to achieve its objectives and asked for alternate mechanisms for the development projects which were tasked to this department.

A senior PWD official previously told Dawn that the department had “constitutional cover”, and it could not be shut down through an ordinance. “At least a two-thirds majority is required to shut down PWD,” he added. The official said the department’s employees had decided to move courts against the decision.

He said that the PWD was the custodian of most government properties and buildings and responsible for the maintenance and execution of development and infrastructure works across Pakistan.

Paperless system

In a separate directive, PM Shehbaz tasked the Ministry of Information Technology and other relevant departments with making federal government offices paperless.

He stressed that any delay in the implementation of the e-office system would not be tolerated, ordering that all office files should be processed exclusively through the e-office system within a month.

“I will not review any file unless it is submitted through the e-office system from next month onwards,” the prime minister said, adding that implementation of e-office to speed up transparency in the system was the top priority of the government. He directed that all officers should ensure file work through e-offices. On his direction, the PM Office staff has already completed the e-office training. Last week, the prime minister also received the files through the e-office system.

PM Shehbaz said that the e-office was an important step towards improving governance and promoting digitisation in the country. He also directed officials to present a report on the progress of launching the e-office in the next two weeks.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2024