Bureaucrats in Punjab better grit their teeth for due diligence. Dissatisfied with the performance of local governments, the Prime Minister Office has issued seven show-cause notices and 263 warning letters to derelict officials over lacklustre response to public complaints. The PMO should be appreciated for showing no special treatment to deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners whilst directing them to be more vigilant. Ever since PM Khan had waged a call for better governance in December, his administration is busy coming up with changes that would make the bureaucratic structure more responsive to public needs. The premier had valiantly noted, \u201cWe will not transfer a corrupt bureaucrat, but will sack him.\u201d In his crusade against under-performing and corrupt officials, PM Khan has repeatedly pointed to public complaints as an instrument to bring change as well as hold concerned officials accountable. A dysfunctional and inefficient bureaucracy can only imperil any country\u2019s economic and social goals (as opposed to its Weberian correlation with growth). This is exactly what is at play in Pakistan. A visit to any district or divisional office will lay bare the masses\u2019 distrust in the state\u2019s willingness to solve their problems. Sadly, the British model of governance that we adopted over seven decades ago remains more or less unchanged. Little has been done to date to make the public servants more responsive to public needs. Considering the steel frame of the bureaucratic elite that is resistant to any change whatsoever, the government is at least trying to come up with a new form of local government. Ergo, something worthy of celebration!
\nStill, whether layers-upon-layers of bureaucracy\u2013clothed in new procedures and jargons\u2013would actually bring positive changes in the lives of citizens is not known yet.
\nFurther, if the government actually aspires to deliver its electoral promise of change, why hasn\u2019t it taken to task the inefficient officers sitting at the helm of various fast-decaying institutes? Once considered the pride of the nation, our flag carrier is now widely notorious for making dreams come true for headline writers. Only fast-track reforms based on training and infrastructural support can enthuse a new life in the airline gasping for oxygen on its death-bed. It goes without saying that these changes can be brought forward by restructuring the institution sans any politicking. Given the millions who travel on railways, looking after railways is an enormous undertaking. Unfortunately, with over 100 accidents in 2019 alone, nobody seems serious about the incompetence synonymous with the enterprise. Employees that are neglecting their duties are the real culprits of its downfall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bureaucrats in Punjab better grit their teeth for due diligence. Dissatisfied with the performance of local governments, the Prime Minister Office has issued seven show-cause notices and 263 warning letters to derelict officials over lacklustre response to public complaints. The PMO should be appreciated for showing no special treatment to deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-174867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"\n