In order to improve the performance of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited and to run it on commercial basis, the regional offices of the bank are being abolished from January next year, dividing it into 25 zones to further enhance its reach.
ZTBL President Rasheed Akhtar Chughtai announced this here on Tuesday while chairing a Regional Managers Conference in its headquarters.
Briefing the participants of the conference about the restructuring move, which was somehow opposed by a few members, he said it was aimed at making the institution viable and self-sustained.
Rasheed said the bank has to perform commercial business besides its normal function to cater for credit facilities. Therefore, it has been decided to abolish all 49 regional offices, and operationally divide it into 25 zones, each to be headed by a zonal chief.
The ZTBL president said that the new zonal offices would have wider jurisdiction and improved supervisory control to cope with the expanded operational requirements, including commercial banking, by optimal use of computer technology.
He said new zonal offices have been proposed all over Pakistan to include 12 in Punjab, 6 in Sindh, 4 in NWFP and 3 in Balochistan.
Regional offices in Punjab would be established in Islamabad, Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, Vehari, Multan, Muzaffarabad, DG Khan, Bahawalpur and Rahimyar Khan.
Six offices in Sindh would be in Karachi, Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Sukkur, Larkana and Mirpur Khas while zonal offices in NWFP would be in Peshawar, DI Khan, Mingora and Abbottabad.
The three zonal offices in Balochistan will be in Quetta, Dera Murad Jamali and Turbat, he added.
Chughtai said that Zonal Chief's role would be of immense importance for achieving operational excellence and attainment of operational goals of disbursement, recovery and resource mobilisation through personal supervision, guidance and effective monitoring of all branches.
The Zonal chiefs would be assigned the task to execute credit and business policy of the Bank and achievement of disbursement, recovery and other business targets of the zone/branches.
They would also be assigned the task to keep close liaison with the agriculture sector stakeholders, farmers, farmers' organisations and local agriculture research institutes.
Zonal chiefs would also be responsible for optimum utilisation and monitoring of resources at branches and to keep the head office informed well in time of all or any abnormality in business and others areas and seek guidance.
They would also be empowered regarding posting and transfers of officers and staff, including branch managers, within their respective zones as per policy and guidelines issued from time to time by the head office.
The criteria for posting of zonal chiefs were discussed in detail, in which ZTBL chief informed the meeting that the selection would be made by a selection committee to be headed by the President and its members including the Chief Operating Officer, Head of Audit Division and others.
The President of ZTBL made it clear that selection would be made on the basis of professional knowledge, experience, team spirit and leadership skills.
"The position of zonal chief will be filled on merit and will be properly advertised internally and, if necessary, externally," he added.
He said that organisational and field restructuring process would be enforced from January next year. The president invited all regional managers to compete, but his move was opposed by a few, who were of the view that they had very short span of time to prove their mettle.
The President of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited also announced to introduce a new transfer and posting policy in the near future. He said the administration would be going for large-scale recruitment as well. Chughtai also made an announcement regarding increase in the salaries of ZTBL employees.