Chitral Times Report
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has directed the communications & Works Department to ensure merit and transparency in its overall contract awarding process; avoid unnecessary delay in contractual procedure and ensure issuance of work order to contractors within a time period of one week positively so that even rare possibilities of mal practices could be eliminated in the entire process of contracts. He issued these directives while chairing a meeting to review progress on the reform initiatives being introduced in Communications and Works Department here on Wednesday.
Special Assistant to CM for C&W Riaz Khan, Secretary C&W Ijaz Ansaari and other relevant high ups attended the meeting. The forum was briefed in detail about progress so far made on developmental schemes, restructuring and reforms initiatives being undertaken in the department. It was told that, during the current financial year so far over Rs 20 billion had been released for construction and rehabilitation of roads in the province adding that 77 percent of released amount had been utilized so far. The participants were told that a total of 18 schemes were completed in roads sector while 97 were due for completion. Touching upon the reforms initiatives in the department, it was told that under the E-bidding system over 2500 contracts had been awarded since its inception adding that E-billing system had also been developed as an associated aspect of the E-billing process. Moreover, under E-registration system so far over 3000 contractors had been registered and Rs.137.2 Million revenue was generated.
The forum was appraised that schemes of ADP and roads maintenance and rehabilitation were verified through Geographic Information System (GIS) while roads were monitored through Digital Map. Similarly, Communications and Works department had developed a model buildings design for other departments keeping in view the requirements of urban and rural areas. In order to eradicate use of substandard construction material as many as Nine material testing laboratories had been established. The meeting was told that in line with chief minister’s directives, Communications and Works department was being restructured on modern lines. Complaint cell had been set up in the office of special assistant to CM on communications and works for swift redressal of complaints. Similarly, internal audit cell had been made functional and three audit teams were constituted. The meeting was informed that so far thousands of Kanaals of department’s land had been retrieved during the anti-encroachments drives.
