Faisalabad: Divisional Commissioner Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh said that Municipal Corporation Faisalabad (MCF) has achieved a significant milestone in modernizing civic administration by becoming the first local government in Punjab to have its Planning Branch awarded ISO 9001 certification after successfully completing the stringent assessment and compliance process conducted by a British company.
During a ceremony was held to mark the achievement, he formally handed over the ISO certification notification to Chief Officer Municipal Corporation Usman Ghani in the presence of local parliamentarians, PMLN leaders, administrative officers, traders, representatives of civil society and senior officials of the Municipal Corporation.
A cake-cutting ceremony was also held to celebrate the certification of the Planning Branch.
Speaking at the ceremony, Divisional Commissioner Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh congratulated the people of Faisalabad, Chief Officer Usman Ghani and Municipal Officer Planning Shireen Newton on the achievement and thanked Allah Almighty for the honor, noting that the certification had been secured during his tenure as administrator.
He said that ensuring transparency in the functioning of Municipal Corporation branches had remained a priority with the objective of improving public service delivery.
He pointed out that during his tenure he had not signed even a single manual file, as the official record had been integrated with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB).
The Commissioner said the certification of procedures relating to the approval of building plans by a British company was a source of pride for the city and reflected progress towards greater transparency and standardization in municipal affairs.
He said that Municipal Corporation was discouraging construction of buildings without approved maps and had also held meetings with the Excise Department to compare and reconcile relevant records.
A model-map system was also being introduced to further simplify and standardize the building-plan approval process, he added.
Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh said that Municipal Corporation was committed to obtaining ISO 9001 certification for its other branches as well, following the model adopted by the Planning Branch.
He said that certification of the Planning Branch would help residents within the municipal limits access services based on internationally recognized management and quality standards, while also strengthening transparency in the approval of building plans and other planning-related matters.
He said that the achievement should not be treated as a one-time milestone and called for continued diligence, transparency and adherence to prescribed procedures to retain the ISO certification and further improve the quality of municipal services.
Earlier, Chief Officer Usman Ghani thanked the Divisional Commissioner Faisalabad and members of the National and Provincial assemblies for their support and assured that every possible effort would be made to maintain the certification standards.
He said that Municipal Corporation Faisalabad, which provides municipal services to a population of more than 4.5 million, required a comprehensive audit.
He said that the process of bringing the institution’s systems in line with international standards had started when Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh assumed charge as Administrator of the Municipal Corporation.
He briefed the participants about the procedures and stages involved in securing the ISO certification and said the record of all branches of the Municipal Corporation was now available through an e-filing system, helping improve transparency, traceability and administrative efficiency.
The participants appreciated the Municipal Corporation’s initiative and termed the certification an important step towards digitalization, transparent governance and the adoption of standardized procedures in civic administration.