LAHORE, Oct 30: The Punjab accountant general said on Tuesday his office was trying to get back financial control of the province. He said interference by the Finance Department ran against the law.

Wazir Ahmad Qureshi, the AG, told a press conference here, his office now controlled only 16 district accounts officers.

Highlighting the office’s role, Mr Qureshi said it was supposed to bring fiscal discipline to Rs128 billion budgeted spending in the province and look after its over 700,000 employees. The office maintains the record needed for accountability and protects provincial resources by checking financial irregularities by government officers.

The AG took the occasion to mention special measures his office had taken to streamline personal accounts of provincial government’s employees — both serving and retired.

He said the 15th day of every month would be the pensioners’ day at the office. On this day, all officers would listen and redress complaints of the pensioners on a priority basis.

The office, he said, was taking all possible measures to clear the retiring employees’ dues within four days of retirement. To this end, departmental employees were being trained to prepare pension cases early. The departments have also been asked to furnish a list of employees expected to retire within the next year. But, he admitted, success has been limited. He said, a one-window operation was also being developed for the retiring employees.

The Friday open forum, he said, another first in the history of the office, too was helping improve the working.

The AG said guidelines had already been issued to the district account officers in view of the devolution of powers to the district level. He said there had been no problems so far.

Answering a question about financial control at the district government level, he said, the legal requirement in this regard had not been met. The AG’s office, he said was trying to regain the control.

Mr Qureshi said working conditions in the district account offices were pathetic. Only seven out of the 34 offices, he said, had computers and none had a fax machine.