End ‘red tapism’ or go home, Murad warns govt officers

Sindh’s chief minister has blamed “red tapism” for the underperforming of government departments. “This word that translates into ‘attitude’ needs to be changed, as I don’t need unwilling workers in my ranks.”

Murad Ali Shah presided over a follow-up meeting of the health department at the CM House on Wednesday. A day earlier, he had left the meeting incomplete while reviewing development schemes.

The meeting was attended by Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Works & Services Minister Imdad Pitafi, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, CM’s Principal Secretary Rizwan Memon, Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Mohammad Waseem, Health Secretary Fazal Pechuho, Finance Secretary Hassan Naqvi, Works Secretary Aijaz Ali Memon, chief engineers, designs director general and others.

The chief executive had left the meeting incomplete on Tuesday after some officers started passing the buck for inordinate delay in completion of schemes, particularly of hospitals and dispensaries.

Therefore, he decided to conduct a follow-up meeting and summoned all the officers who were being held responsible for delaying the approvals and completion of projects.

The schemes that were delayed due to official “red tapism” include the Rs87.953 million improvement project of the Gadap government hospital, the Rs141.733 million improvement project of the Ibrahim Hyderi government hospital, the Rs80.049 million improvement project of the Rehri government hospital, the Rs65.617 million improvement project of the 36-bedded Dumba Goth hospital and the Rs87.256 million improvement project of the 2-A Corridor Landhi government hospital.

The follow-up meeting started at 8am sharp and everyone was in their seat at least 30 minutes before the meeting started. The officers kept trying to develop consensus so they could satisfy CM Shah during the meeting.

As soon as the chief executive arrived, there was pin-drop silence in the conference room. In an attempt to look away from the CM’s chair, all the officers looked down at the files placed in front of them.

Shah broke the silence by telling the meeting that he was a professional engineer. “Neither the chief engineers nor the design experts can misguide me. Therefore, everyone sitting in this meeting must be candid and clear in his statements.”

He admitted that it was quite painful for him that a hospital that his father – the then CM Abdullah Shah – had founded in Gadap during his tenure had yet to be completed. “Is this your performance and commitment with the government? I am answerable to my people and you are answerable to me. Therefore, I would take account of each and every day you delay despite my approval.”

When he asked the designs DG why he had delayed the approval of a scheme, he said there were some documents missing from the file. The CM’s response: “This is a baseless excuse and unacceptable at any cost. If there was anything missing from the file, you should have called the officer concerned of the health department to dispose of the file, but you preferred to let it gather dust on your table.”

On this, CS Memon politely tried to come to his colleague’s aid. He told the CM that he would sort out the matter. “I got this design approved by him last night and the work would start shortly.”

CM Shah expressed his displeasure and said that when the officers really want to work, they approve a scheme within a day, otherwise important files keep gathering dust on their tables.

Health minister Mandhro told the CM that the Gadap hospital was launched by the late chief minister and completed in 2010, but the flood-hit people were being housed in the building; therefore, the work could not be started. “Now the hospital is being improved and the scheme will be completed by the end of December 2018.”

He said that similarly, the government hospitals of Ibrahim Hyderi, Rehri, Dumba Goth and Landhi would be made functional by the end of the next year.

CM Shah directed health secretary Pechuho to start visiting sites of development schemes and keep him informed about their progress.

He directed the health minister to keep close coordination with the works & services department to expedite the work of the hospitals. “If the works department, even after this warning, failed to deliver, I shall outsource the entire work of the department by making necessary amendments in the law.”

Auction of unused vehicles

CM Shah has directed the Population Welfare Department to auction its 64 family planning vehicles rusting for the last six years. 

He issued these directives while presiding over a meeting of the Population Welfare Department to review the implementation of its development portfolio at the CM House.

Those who attended the meeting include population welfare minister Mumtaz Jakhrani, Pitafi, CS Memon, Waseem, Baloch, provincial secretaries Laeeq Ahmed and Aijaz Memon.

Mumtaz Jakhrani said there were 64 family planning vehicles equipped with a small operation theatre and other related facilities were provided by federal government about six year ago to launch the family planning drive all over Sindh. He said the vehicles were not fit to move in rural areas with such a heavy load of small OT theatre and related facilities.

The chief minister directed the chief secretary to work out a plan to dispose of family planning vehicles and also plan to dispose of other Sindh government abandoned vehicles at the Balochistan House, Nazarat and at the Sindh Secretariat. “Make a team of honest and good officers to auction these vehicles in a transparent way,” he directed the chief secretary.

Laiq Ahmed said Rs1,564.314 million had been reserved to execute six schemes. He said the allocation for current year was Rs745 million, adding that two of them were ongoing projects and the four were new schemes.

Giving details of the schemes, the secretary said the scheme for construction of office, hostel, residential building for population training institute in Karachi was launched at Rs119 million.

“The handed over 91.5 million to the Works & Services Department in July 2016 but no progress has been reported so far.”