Department working without a DG

Mumtaz Ahmed Bhatti

ISLAMABAD:  Pakistan PWD is the oldest and most trusted department in Pakistan. Engineers of this department are rendering services all over Pakistan. This department was functioning even before the partition of India, at that time it was called PWD. After 1947, it was renamed Pak PWD. After partition, no government thought of working for the betterment of this department but played its role in destroying it. There is no such thing in the world that such a large department has been working for more than six months without a permanent DG. The government is not serious about appointing a permanent DG. After the retirement of the DG, if the government appoints a senior chief engineer working in the Pak PWD as the DG, then the Pak PWD can be improved. The government has advertised in the newspaper for the appointment of DG but no one appreciated this move of the government but the government is adamant. Due to poor policies of the government, Additional Secretary has been running the pak PWD department for more than six months as DG Pak PWD.

Injustice is happening with Pak PWD engineers. Engineers from all four provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan have been receiving technical allowance for a long time but Pak PWD engineers are waiting for technical allowance. After all, what is the reason that technical allowance is being given to the engineers of all other departments except Pak PWD? What are the reasons for discriminating against Pak PWD engineers? Is the bureaucracy creating hurdles in this? If it is being argued that providing technical allowance to engineers of Pak PWD department will be a burden on finance then this justification is totally wrong. If giving technical allowances to dozens of departments does not put a burden on finance then why giving technical allowances only to Pak PWD engineers will put a burden on finances.Inflation is rising day by day The problems of the salaried class are also increasing day by day In these circumstances, it is imperative that the government immediately approves the provision of technical allowance to Pak PWD engineers otherwise, the protest plan of Pak PWD engineers has been prepared. The protests include roadblocks, hunger strikes and dharna on D chowk.