NITB, CDA pass the buck on E-governance issue

Islamabad: The much-hyped E-governance initiative of the federal capital remains in doldrums as National Information Technology Board (NITB) and Capital Development Authority (CDA) are passing on the buck to each other for its delay.

The E-governance system, devised in 2002 to involve citizens in the policy process, illustrating government transparency and accountability and quick disposal of public complaints, still remains uncertain even after 15 years of its initiation.

"The issue recently echoed in Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology. It was CDA, not NITB, whom the body had directed to resolve the issue in two weeks," M Jamil Mushtaq Project Manager at NITB told this agency.

He said Chairman of the Committee, Shahi Syed had asked CDA and the concerned company LRMK to implement the decade-old E-governance project or face the action. Our department is only responsible for assistance and to ensure the transparent utilisation of allocated fund, he clarified.

He said the project was a joint venture of CDA and Land Mark Resources Pakistan Private Limited (LMRK), in which the former had to work on hardware and later was assigned the task of software installation. But in ten years, the audit revealed “only 10-15 per cent work was done despite release of a hefty amount".

Later, the Ministry of Information Technology in 2014 moved the case to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for further investigation and to determine responsibility of the delay. CDA Director General of Admin Wing Nadeem Akbar Malik said the authority was eager to start E-governance system in its all directorates to meet new era challenges.

"How come we afford delay as we have to deal with bulk of papers in files and face the public wrath for obsolete system," he added. The LMRK company, he said, had started work to develop the required software in 2005, which was halted for drawing payment over and above the allocation.

Later the company was sued over alleged irregularities, he informed. Another official seeking anonymity said the civic body had to complete work on the E-governance system’s hardware, while the LRMK was mandated to work on software programming to complete the project.

"Why would we resist such a thing that will help in enhancing our work speed and efficiency,” he remarked. It may be mentioned that the word's top municipalities, who have adopted the E-governance, have not only gained public trust but are also ready for future challenges as well.