ISLAMABAD:
It is mindboggling why huge amounts of money are spent on departments like Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDC). Each year, large sums of money are set aside in the budget for the exploration of oil and gas reserves in Pakistan, which falls under the preview of OGDC. Unfortunately, no mentionable oil or gas reserves have been discovered in the country over the past few decades. However, we have a white elephant in the form of OGDC that employs thousands of employees with no performance to show. Billions of rupees are spent on the offices, salaries and perks of thousands of employees of the OGDC while the people of Pakistan suffer from gas shortages and exorbitantly high-priced fuel.
Given the deteriorating economic conditions, Pakistan cannot afford to fund organisations and bodies that are underperforming. The government must hold consultations with the opposition to either improve the performance of white elephants such as OGDC or cut them down to size. In a similar vein, it is about time that all politicians came together to act decisively on the Steel Mills, Railways and PIA which bleed money constantly because of over-employment and poor work ethic. The country should no longer offer leverage to organisations that cannot do justice to the responsibilities and budget allocated to them.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 27th, 2021.
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