THE decision of the Federal Government to initiate action against officers by issuing them show-cause notices and warning letters over their non-seriousness and inaction on public complaints registered with the Citizen Portal is reflective of the resolve of the Prime Minister to improve governance through administrative actions and make the bureaucracy deliver. The action was direly needed as, with the passage of time, a segment of the civil servants was not paying due heed to complaints lodged against their departments with the Citizen Portal.
The initiative of Prime Minister Imran Khan to set up a complaint portal has widely been appreciated by the people as it afforded them an opportunity to access the top office of the country seeking its assistance in resolution of their problems and difficulties. There is no doubt that thousands of complainants got relief through this mechanism but there are also complaints about lethargic and non-serious attitude as well as lack of genuine interest in addressing problems of the citizens as highlighted through complaints registered with the Portal. Issuance of show cause notice and warning letters to hundreds of officers including federal and provincial secretaries, deputy/assistant commissioners, and police officials is a reminder to the bureaucracy that their performance is constantly being monitored. The issues identified and highlighted by the Delivery Unit of PM Office also convey a positive impression that all aspects of the system are vigilantly being observed. A report of the Unit pointed out that that the system was left in the hands of lower subordinates with the majority of the decisions made by them. It identified that many resolved complaints were lacking letter/ notification/picture; complaints were dropped on wrong pleas; many were decided at an unauthorized level and unnecessary time wasted in submission of just a response to the citizens.
The absence of any cogent reason for no relief, assertion of relief or partial relief in contrast to the actual situation and no reopening of complaints with negative feedback was also highlighted in the report. The system could prove more instrumental in moving towards the ideal of good governance if ministers concerned are also issued show-cause and warning letters as ultimately it is their responsibility to improve the functioning of their ministries and subordinate offices. Similarly, heads of different departments and senior officials of the ministry must be conveyed in clear-cut terms that their performance would be duly reflected in the Performance Evaluation Reports (PERs) that form the basis for progression in their career. At the same time, as Ombudsman offices are also doing almost similar functions, they should also be facilitated and encouraged to improve their working and delivery.
