By Babar Dogar
LAHORE
THE District Management Group (DMG) is out to circumvent decisions taken by the Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa Committee constituted by the Punjab chief minister in July 2010 for solution of problems of provincial officers.
Addressing a gathering of provincial officers outside the office of the Services Secretary in Civil Secretariat here, PCS, PSS & PMS Officers Welfare Association President Rai Manzoor Hussain Nasir said despite a lapse of more than six months, decisions taken by the committee were yet to be implemented and few decisions, which were being implemented, were totally against the agreement reached in a meeting and endorsed by the committee. The DMG officers while preparing a summary for the chief minister misrepresented the facts and got approved minutes from the chief minister, which were against the decisions taken by the committee, he charged.
He said the gathering of more than 60 provincial officers just on information of his visit to the Secretariat indicated a deep sense of resentment was again permeating the provincial officers after this act of the District Management Group.
Rai Manzoor Nasir said that every effort was being made by the DMG officers to block the promotion of provincial officers to higher grades. Even under the disputed seat sharing formula of 1993, 300 posts of provincial services’ share in grade 18; 60 in grade 19; 34 in grade 20 and seven in grade 21 were lying vacant. The provincial officers were being denied promotion deliberately. He narrated the example of DCO Jehlum Hamed Ullah Khan, who retired on 31st December, 2010 in grade 20 despite the availability of seven posts in grade 21 and the Provincial Selection Board in its meeting held on 30th December did not have the compassion to consider him for promotion.
He lamented that DMG was allowed to hold the provincial services under subjugation only in the province of Punjab. In other provinces, the provincial officers had been given their rights. In other provinces, no post of provincial share remains vacant even for one day. In Punjab, the provincial officers were victims of worst exploitation; they had to serve as long as 15 to 21 years in grade 17 alone while DMG officers were promoted to grade 18 just after five years. Senior provincial officers were posted under junior DMG officers and provincial officers posted on non-significant posts. Out of 42 administrative secretaries, only three were from provincial service, he added.
He further said that every action of DMG was aimed at depriving the provincial officers of their legitimate rights and malafide tactics were being used by them for this. Training had been made mandatory for promotion of provincial officers; however, holding of training had been left to the sweet will of DMG. Secretary MPDD never concealed her bias against provincial services and she had publicly declared that she would not allow training for 1992 batch of PCS.
He said that it was decided by Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa Committee that timely training would be given to the provincial officers. If training could not be given in time, the condition of mandatory training would stand waived. Unfortunately none of the decisions were implemented by DMG-dominated S&GAD resulting in gradual disappearance of the provincial officers in higher grades.
Another decision taken by the Committee was that discriminatory condition of Minimum Service Length would be abolished. However, S&GAD abolished the condition for all the services except the PCS, PSS and PMS as no amendment was made in Provincial Management Service Rules 2004.
He further said that it was decided by the Committee that DMG officers, who had been posted out of Punjab would retain official residences only for one year. Despite clear-cut decision to this effect, the DMG officers sent a wrong summary to the chief minister and changed the time period from one year to two years and thus misled the chief minister.
He said that even the two-year decision was not being implemented and the officers, who had been posted out of Punjab as long as seven years ago were still occupying the official residences in GOR. Not even a single notice was issued to these illegal occupants. He said that the DMG officers moving summary to the chief minister added certain things from their own side favouring DMG officers and added that the DMG officers could retain residences in Punjab until they were provided with a residence at their new place of posting in other province. This, he said, was quite illogical as provision of residence was the responsibility of federal government or the province where these DMG officers were transferred. By occupying the Punjab residences they are usurping the rights of the provincial officers.
Doors of Punjab Civil Officers Mess were still closed for the provincial officers; whereas, even such federal services as postal, income tax, audit could become members. He said that the provincial officers were being driven against the wall.
Source:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrin...=5&dt=1/7/2011