Sethi shakes things up: 27 DCOs and 8 RPOs replaced

Caretaker chief minister outlines changes in bureaucracy, hopes to compensate victims of war on terror in Punjab.

LAHORE:

Caretaker Chief Minister Najam Sethi said on Sunday that he had finalised a three-phase strategy for a comprehensive transfers plan in the bureaucracy in order to ensure that the upcoming elections were free, fair and transparent.

Sethi was sharing details of transfers and postings with the media on Sunday at his 7Club Road office. He said that out of 14 administrative secretaries four were being retained and the rest replaced. He said that all 9 divisional commissioners were being replaced with new people. Out of the 36 district coordination officers (DCOs), nine have been retained and 27 replaced. He added that the nine DCOs that have been retained have been shifted to other districts

Sethi said that out of nine regional police officers (RPOs), one had been retained, but his posting had been shifted. The rest had been replaced. He said that out of a total of 36 district police officers (DPOs), 18 had been retained but shifted to other districts while 18 new DPOs had been appointed.



Sethi said that he had decided to retain four secretaries on their current positions as their transfers might create governance problems.

He said the health secretary, the home secretary, the school secretary and the finance secretary had been asked to keep their posts.

He said that in the first phase of transfers he had changed the inspector general of police and the chief secretary.

He said that in the next phase some of the junior officers would be transferred.

Sethi said he did not know which banned organisation was supporting which political party. He said once he got reports from the special branch he would be able to speak about the matter.

He said he had rationalised the security plan and reduced the security deployment for important personalities by almost 25 per cent.

He said each of the six caretaker ministers had more than one portfolio. Sethi said he had kept the portfolios of finance, revenue, excise and taxation, information and planning and development.

Sethi said he planned to compensate and provide financial support to civilian victims of the war on terror. He said that he had ordered the administration to figure out the number of civilians killed and injured in terrorist attacks in Punjab.

He said that though loadshedding was a political issue he would forward MQM’s Nasreen Jalil’s letter to the federal government.

Sethi said that the appointment of a provincial finance commission was a matter for function of the elected government he would consider how the caretaker government could work on it.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2013.