ISLAMABAD, Aug 15: Over 8,200 employees of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, National Highway Authority and Pakistan Post Office have lost their jobs as the government has completed restructuring and rightsizing of these entities.

The new sanctioned strength of the three departments is 44,000, against the previous 51,930, and the reduction of 8,218 employees is claimed to make the entities “economically viable”.

According to details made available to Dawn, the three state sector enterprises were overstaffed because of political appointments and were not performing satisfactorily owing to unionized labour. There was pilferage of revenue.

The NHA strength had been reduced from 1,895 to 1,219 employees. The exercise has resulted in the saving of about 30 per cent. Members’ strength has been reduced from 5 to 3 and that of general managers from 20 to 11, resulting in saving of about 40pc.

Deputationists have been repatriated and “unnecessary” staff employed on contact and work-charge basis have been discharged. Vehicles from officers of BPS-18 and below have been withdrawn, ensuring a saving of over Rs10 million annually. Allowances, advances and grants on account of housing and conveyance have been curtailed, resulting in additional saving of Rs24 million per year.

Official documents said that political interference in the NHA had been eliminated and accountability had started. New inductions were being made on merit. The NHA was earlier dependent on consultants, but to establish a system of accountability, unnecessary consultancies have been done away with. Out of 7 chairmen, 5 were political appointees in any given time who served the interests of their respective political masters and were sacked with every change of the government.

Despite rampant corruption, hardly anyone was brought to book. There was a stage that out of 5 members, one absconded, one resigned and two were suspended. There was over-staffing as against the sanctioned strength of 252, the number of regular employees stood at 1,646. Against 3, there were 5 members and 25 general managers against 11 authorized in the NHA.

Since its establishment, the NHA expanded its roads and motorways programme without seriously undertaking any feasibility study. Funds were diverted from economically viable and ongoing projects to non-viable projects.

The NHA was an organization where cars and jeeps were given to non-entitled persons and to even those working in the field. In Islamabad alone, over 200 vehicles were used and their monthly fuel bill exceeded Rs1 million.

Unlimited medical bills were paid to those on deputation. An average Rs2.5 billion is being collected from tolls, which in 3 to 4 years will enable the NHA to maintain its road network outside the Public Sector Development Programme.