Chitral Times Report
PESHAWAR: As an other important step with regard to reforms in service delivery departments of the provincial government, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has decided to clearly define the mandate, jurisdiction and functions of all works departments including Local Government, Communications and Works, Public Health Engineering and Irrigation for carrying out construction works and public service delivery in order to avoid duplication of works by these departments and thus ensure effective and meaningful use of public exchequer. The Chief Minister directed the Planning and Development Department to take the lead in the matter and come up with solid proposals and guidelines within one month time period in consultation with the relevant departments.
He was chairing a meeting in this regard, held here the other day. Administrative Secretaries of Local Government, Communications and Works, Planning and Development, Irrigation and Public Health Engineering departments attended the meeting. It is pertinent to mention here that presently there are duplications of work by works departments in certain construction works and public service delivery activities like drinking water supply, street pavements, street lights, sanitation and other municipal services, and in some cases more than one departments are carrying out the same activities which creates complications and it necessitated that functions and mandates of each works department be defined clearly.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister stressed the need for ensuring utmost transparency in the tendering process of contracts for construction activities and ensure both the quality and quantity of construction works under respective jurisdiction and directed the high ups of these departments for necessary steps to this end. He also directed the concerned quarters to work out a comprehensive plan to protect water of Irrigation channels across the province from being polluted by drainage water, and devise a scheme for execution in this regard.
