Last warning: Eliminate red tape or else: Murad Ali Shah
CM leaves officials quaking in their boots after follow-up health dept meeting
PHOTO: NNI
KARACHI:
Red-tape has marred the performance of government departments, said Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
This 'red-tapism' has translated into a bad attitude, which has to be changed, he said, adding that he does not need unwilling workers in his ranks.
He made these comments on Wednesday while presiding over a follow-up meeting of health department officials at Chief Minister House to review development schemes.
The meeting was attended by health minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro, works and services minister Imdad Pitafi, chief secretary Rizwan Memon, principal secretary to the CM Naveed Kamran Baloch, additional chief secretary of development Muhammad Waseem, health secretary Fazlullah Pechuho, finance secretary Hassan Naqvi, works secretary Aijaz Ali Memon, chief engineers, director-general of design and others.
Shah had left Tuesday's meeting incomplete when some officers had started passing the blame for the inordinate delay in completion of schemes, particularly of hospitals and dispensaries. He decided to hold another meeting on Wednesday morning at 8am and summoned the officers responsible for delaying approvals and completion of works.
Shaken by the previous meeting's events, all the officers were seated at least 30 minutes before the meeting began and were trying to reach a consensus before the CM's arrival. Shah's arrival was greeted by pin drop silence and no one would meet his eye. The CM began by telling the participants of the meeting that since he is an engineer by profession neither the engineers, nor the design experts can misguide him.
He said it was quite painful for him that a hospital his father, then chief minister Syed Abdullah Shah who served from 1993 to 1996, had established in Gadap during his tenure has not been completed yet. "I am accountable to my people and you are accountable to me, therefore I will take account of each and every day you have delayed the completion of projects, despite my approval," he said.
He asked the DG of design why he had delayed the approval of a particular scheme, to which the official said there were some documents missing in the file. "This is a baseless excuse and unacceptable. Had there been any documents missing in the file you should have called the relevant officer of health department to dispose of the file, but you preferred to keep it gathering dust on your table," scolded the CM.
The chief secretary came to the design DG's defence and said he would sort out the matter. "I had this design approved by him last night and the work will start shortly," he said. The CM expressed his displeasure at this and said that when the officers choose to do so they can approve schemes in a day but they often let important files gather dust.
Dr Mandhro said that the Gadap hospital was launched by the CM's father and was completed in 2010 but the flood affected people were housed in the building. Therefore, it could not be used as a hospital, he said. The minister assured the CM that the hospital was now being improved and the scheme would be completed by the end of December, 2018.
Similarly, government hospitals in Ibrahim Hyderi, Rehri, Dumab Goth and Landhi will be made functional by the end of 2018, said Dr Mandhro.
The CM directed Pechuho to start visiting the development schemes and report back to him regularly. He also directed the health minister to coordinate with the works and services department to expedite work on the hospitals.
Shah threatened to outsource all the project work if the works department failed to deliver.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2017.
Red-tape has marred the performance of government departments, said Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
This 'red-tapism' has translated into a bad attitude, which has to be changed, he said, adding that he does not need unwilling workers in his ranks.
He made these comments on Wednesday while presiding over a follow-up meeting of health department officials at Chief Minister House to review development schemes.
The meeting was attended by health minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro, works and services minister Imdad Pitafi, chief secretary Rizwan Memon, principal secretary to the CM Naveed Kamran Baloch, additional chief secretary of development Muhammad Waseem, health secretary Fazlullah Pechuho, finance secretary Hassan Naqvi, works secretary Aijaz Ali Memon, chief engineers, director-general of design and others.
Shah had left Tuesday's meeting incomplete when some officers had started passing the blame for the inordinate delay in completion of schemes, particularly of hospitals and dispensaries. He decided to hold another meeting on Wednesday morning at 8am and summoned the officers responsible for delaying approvals and completion of works.
Shaken by the previous meeting's events, all the officers were seated at least 30 minutes before the meeting began and were trying to reach a consensus before the CM's arrival. Shah's arrival was greeted by pin drop silence and no one would meet his eye. The CM began by telling the participants of the meeting that since he is an engineer by profession neither the engineers, nor the design experts can misguide him.
He said it was quite painful for him that a hospital his father, then chief minister Syed Abdullah Shah who served from 1993 to 1996, had established in Gadap during his tenure has not been completed yet. "I am accountable to my people and you are accountable to me, therefore I will take account of each and every day you have delayed the completion of projects, despite my approval," he said.
He asked the DG of design why he had delayed the approval of a particular scheme, to which the official said there were some documents missing in the file. "This is a baseless excuse and unacceptable. Had there been any documents missing in the file you should have called the relevant officer of health department to dispose of the file, but you preferred to keep it gathering dust on your table," scolded the CM.
The chief secretary came to the design DG's defence and said he would sort out the matter. "I had this design approved by him last night and the work will start shortly," he said. The CM expressed his displeasure at this and said that when the officers choose to do so they can approve schemes in a day but they often let important files gather dust.
Dr Mandhro said that the Gadap hospital was launched by the CM's father and was completed in 2010 but the flood affected people were housed in the building. Therefore, it could not be used as a hospital, he said. The minister assured the CM that the hospital was now being improved and the scheme would be completed by the end of December, 2018.
Similarly, government hospitals in Ibrahim Hyderi, Rehri, Dumab Goth and Landhi will be made functional by the end of 2018, said Dr Mandhro.
The CM directed Pechuho to start visiting the development schemes and report back to him regularly. He also directed the health minister to coordinate with the works and services department to expedite work on the hospitals.
Shah threatened to outsource all the project work if the works department failed to deliver.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2017.