Peshawar: Secretary Energy and Power, Nisar Ahmed has instructed all subordinate institutions to prepare a verified list of corrupt, infamous, poor-performing and dubiously reputed officers.
He said that such officers should not be appointed to sensitive and public-facing posts, while all appointments and transfers should be made only on the basis of merit and performance.
The government has also directed to ensure transparency in government procurement and financial affairs, establish an effective public grievance redressal system, digitize government services and make officers committed to timely and effective public service.
Secretary Energy added that corruption is the biggest scourge of society which is the biggest obstacle in the development of institutions. There is no place for corrupt officers and officials in the Energy Department and all its subordinate institutions. If anyone is found involved in corruption in the institution, he will be made an example of.
He said that in the light of the instructions of the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a public complaints cell has been established in the Energy and Electricity Department like other institutions, which will be monitored on a daily basis on a transparent and meritorious basis and public complaints will be redressed in a timely manner he warned.
In addition to this, strict instructions have been issued for the return of all such official vehicles owned by the Energy Department and all its subordinate institutions which are being used by unauthorized persons and institutions. Direct communication through open courts (Khuli Kachehris) has been intensified to bring a good image of the department among the public.
Nisar Ahmad, Secretary Energy has expressed these views while presiding over a special review meeting in the Energy Department.
The meeting was also attended by senior officers of the department including the heads of the subordinate institutions PEDO, KP Oil and Gas Company, Inspectorate of Electricity, KP Transmission and Grid System Company.
In the meeting, Secretary Energy and Power Nisar Ahmed directed that a record of the performance and integrity of all officers and officials of the department be compiled, in light of which officers who perform well will be encouraged, while immediate departmental action will be taken against officials involved in corruption, negligence or mismanagement.
Meanwhile, the Energy Department’s head also warned all field officers, including project directors, that action will now be taken against officers responsible for unnecessary delays in development matters. Every complaint regarding bribery or illegal demands will be investigated immediately in the complaint cell established in the department and strict action will be taken he added.
Furthermore, under administrative reforms, departments have been directed to simplify business procedures, eliminate unnecessary steps, transfer powers to the appropriate level and accelerate the digitalization of all services so that applications, their monitoring and service delivery can be made online.
He directed the heads of subordinate institutions to make surprise visits to field offices and development projects and issued strict instructions to examine the performance according to the set targets and submit reports he concluded.