Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs) have locked horns with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for violation of agreements and extension in the service of District DRM co-ordinators at extremely attractive packages under the ' One United Nations (UN) DRM Program, sources told Business Recorder.
Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KP) PDMA in a letter to the Director, Disaster Risk Reduction, Sibt-e-Abbas Zaidi, stated that the provincial government had repeatedly emphasised the need for formulating an implementation framework for One UN DRM Program with the consensus of the provincial governments and to evolve an appropriate work plan to ensure provincial ownership.
These recommendations which are in tandem with contemporary constitutional/ legal disaster management arrangements are essential for sustainability and success of One UN DRM intervention.
PDMA has already given its comments/ reservations on the extension of the contracts of DRM co-ordinators hired by NDMA in District Haripur, D I Khan and Nowshera.
KP government is not aware of any action or output from the District DRM co-ordinators and the deficiency of the same at the provincial level. Moreover, NDMA was requested to apprise PDMA of activity/output of each co-ordinator before extension in contracts as their ToRs are output based. KP has also complained that the ToRs lack provincial management and co-ordination provisions.
The provincial government had also suggested the following provisions in the ToRs: (i) prioritising the hazard-prone districts instead of Haripur, Shangla or Kohistan were suggested; and (ii) reservations on additional functioning of the co-ordinators for early recovery and community restoration cluster which is a specialised task and not commensurate with the qualification and experience of these positions. However, NDMA and UNDP have extended the contracts of co-ordinators, disregarding the recommendations of PDMA.
"Nonetheless, any decision regarding One UN DRM program contrary to the recommendations of the provincial government and which does not acknowledge provincial autonomy are not acceptable and will bear unconstructive consequences on the future of this program. KP does not own the activities of the project unless a role is given to it in the program," sources quoted, said Shakeel Qadir Khan, Secretary, PDMA, as warning in the letter.
Director General Punjab, PDMA, Khalid Sherdil, has also raised almost similar reservations over the UN fund program.
According to him, it was decided at the last conference held under the chairmanship of NDMA Chairman that One UN DRM program should be conducted with the consensus of provincial governments to ensure provincial ownership. Unfortunately, the minutes of the meeting were not issued. Since then the One UN DRM staff has been holding meetings of the District DRMs at Islamabad, without consultation with PDMA, which reflects that the decisions agreed upon at the workshop are not being implemented in spirit.
Upon email request from One UN DRM program, PDMA has already given its comments through email regarding extension of the contracts of DRM co-ordinators hired by the NDMA.
Besides this financial mismanagement in the NDMA is on the rise and the a group of officials are spending public money on things of personal use including furniture.
"We believe that at the time of hiring, if NDMA should have informed the candidates that their contracts would be only for two months, then several good candidates will not apply or join in due to job insecurity," sad, DG Punjab in a letter to Zaidi. PDMA has also protested over planned six month extensions in the services of the co-ordinators of NDMA.
"PDMA would not accept any extension in the contract beyond two months period of February 28, 2011. One UN DRM may re-advertise the posts using the ToRs which PDMA has already revised," Khalid Sherdil added.
Sources said other provinces are also raising similar questions with the NDMA but their concerns are not being heard properly in Islamabad.