LAHORE, Nov 9: All departments have been asked to immediately shed their powers to divisional commissioners to enable them to closely monitor almost all activities in districts under them, completing in a way the ‘devolution of power’ agenda of Gen Musharraf which the PML-N Punjab government otherwise abhors.

Officials even say the chief minister and the chief secretary are also going to share some of their authority with the commissioners for zooming in on all activities in districts for the “betterment of people.”

And it is being apparently done because of government’s inability to do away with the local governments having constitutional protection till the next year.

“We have been convincing all administrative secretaries during lengthy meetings last week that they should transfer some of their powers to commissioners. Now, they have been formally asked to do so, and this process is going to be completed shortly,” a senior official told Dawn on Sunday.

When pointed out that this in fact was ‘devolution’ of power envisaged by Musharraf and his clique, he said this was ‘decentralisation’ of power. “There is a marked difference between devolution and decentralisation of powers,” he insisted.

Under the devolution plan, the district governments were given many powers of the provinces. But, since this was begrudged by the elected provincial governments, some of the districts’ powers were withdrawn, directly or indirectly, in their second term, mainly on the initiative of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s Punjab government.

“The donor agencies wanted decentralisation of powers, which we are doing not for a dictator but for the betterment of people by ensuring timely and quality completion of all activities meant for their welfare,” the official replied when asked why a government already complaining lack of authority was further shedding its powers.

When asked which type of authority the commissioners would have, he said they were going to have all powers of the Calamity Act to manage affairs in case of any emergency. Under the same authority they would be able to declare areas calamity-hit for exemption from taxes.

They were also being empowered to transfer and post officials in BS-18 in districts under them. There was also a proposal to authorise them to transfer and post officials of health and education departments, like headmasters and EDOs, up to BS-19 and 20, because of their better knowledge of local human resources and field requirements.

Besides, the commissioners were being given powers, under the Punjab Employees Efficiency and Discipline Act, to rid the provincial government of the job of punishing inefficient and corrupt officials at central level, and to locally ensure discipline.

They would be the reporting officers of directors of Anti-corruption Establishment, also having powers to approve development schemes over Rs50 million and up to Rs100 million, leaving only over Rs100 million schemes for the Provincial Development Working Party to sanction.

The commissioners would also be co-chairmen of tertiary healthcare institutions, and have the appellate authority of the Board of Revenue (BoR) members.

When asked what would the administrative secretaries, chairman planning and development board, and BoR members do after shedding their powers, the senior official said they would give policy, vision and human resource development profile in consultation with commissioners.