Standing Committee of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Public Health Engineering (PHE) held here with Chairman MPA Gul Sahib Khan Khattak in Shaheed Tahira Qazi Conference Room of the provincial assembly Wednesday. Besides, MPAs Fazal Shakoor, Noor Saleem Malik, Arbab Akbar Hayat, Ehtesham Javed Akbar Khan, Mohammad Idrees, Zarin Gul, Mehmood Khan, Secretary PHE, Nizamuddin, Chief Engineers, Sanober Khan, Mohammad Arif Khan, other executive engineers and concerned authorities of the Law Department also attended.
The meeting expressed deep concern and dismay over the untimely provision of working papers by the department and termed the repetition of the act despite pinpointing tantamount to the breach of the privilege of all members of the committee.
The chairman sternly warned the concerned authorities to provide in future working papers to the committee three-day prior of the meeting, so the members find some time for review of the details. Besides, citing the shortage of staff and other reasons, the authorities of the department assured that in future they will not repeat the act.
On this occasion, the committee unanimously recommended the meeting of the shortage of staff in the department, saying problems are affecting the performance of the department.
The committee also reviewed the detailed replies of the questions asked in last session of the provincial assembly and expressed reservations over some answers. The department clarified that in this connection a policy is being evolved, which would overcome maximum problems and the performance of the department would also be made effective. On this occasion, the committee directed the authorities for arranging a comprehensive briefing in future in this regard, so better proposals could be included in them.
The meeting also took exception to faulty tube-wells in far-flung areas, release of millions of rupees annually in the name of the repairing of outdated wells, massive corruption in maintenance and repair funds, irregularities in recruitment on wells and non-completion of the tube-wells despite provision of funds and stressed need for evolving of strategy to prevent such corrupt practices in future.
The meeting directed all districts for provision of the list of all out-of-order and incomplete tube-wells and in future getting the approval of funds for maintenance and repair from the concerned authorities, so beside excesses it would also remain aware of the utilisation of the funds and root corruption out in this regard.
The meeting also expressed over the matter that majority of the employees of the department are carrying their own businesses, but still drawing salaries from public exchequer, which is intolerable act. Therefore, the concerned authorities were asked to not only guarantee field visits, but also take measures for handing such elements either to National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Anti-Corruption Department or Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).