`Budgetary constraints` Ombudsman removes eight officials
LAHORE: The Punjab Ombudsman has reportedly surrendered six out of 25 consultants and two other officials after authorities took serious notice of “unnecessary expansion” of his staff.
Sources told Dawn on Sunday that the ombudsman had surrendered six consultants, one deputy secretary and one section officer. He was expected to remove more consultants as the chief secretary had ordered 33 per cent reduction in the non-development budget of the Ombudsman’s Secretariat, they said.
They said the authorities were considering the surrender of two government employees merely eyewash and were expecting the ombudsman to remove more consultants who were hired on a contract.
Meanwhile, it is learnt, most seats recently abolished by the Punjab government in the district governments were lying vacant. And their abolition after amendment to the relevant laws would not render officers jobless.
Sources said 99 per cent of the 36 each posts of EDO Information Technology and Law were lying vacant at the time of their abolition. A number of the abolished posts of EDO and DDO Revenue were also lying vacant because of shortage of officers.
According to the policy, sources said, the government was giving charge of every vacant post of EDOR to the DCO concerned. They said DDORs were also working only in big cities and the rest of the posts in districts were lying vacant.
They claimed that 538 functionaries of the provincial government’s surplus pool were working in various departments but none of them had so far been absorbed there.
Source: Dawn
Date:1/31/2011
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