THE prompt and strong action taken by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar against all those responsible for Murree tragedy has sent a clear message to the bureaucracy that they will be held accountable for dereliction of duties.
Addressing a news conference on Wednesday, the CM announced removal of 15 officials from their positions and some of them would also face disciplinary proceedings.
The Chief Minister has, no doubt, lived up to his promise of holding a fair and transparent inquiry into the tragedy in which 23 people had died after their cars were stranded in a snowstorm in the resort town earlier this month.
Those removed and suspended include Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi and Assistant Commissioner Murree besides senior officials of other departments, the coordination of which matters much in smooth handling of the influx of tourists to the hill station.
However, it has also been pointed out by seasoned bureaucrats and administrators that frequent transfers are also among the root causes of inefficiency of the bureaucracy in different areas.
In this case, eight Assistant Commissioners were transferred to and from Murree during the last three and a half years and the incumbent one was posted hardly two months back, a period not enough even to get oneself acquainted with the overall state of affairs of a tehsil.
This policy needs to be reviewed and postings once made on merit should not be disturbed for three/four years to ensure stability of the tenure.
Similarly, mere transfer of officials would not solve the problem if underlying causes were not removed, especially paucity of funds, shortage of manpower, maintenance of the machinery and timely execution of developmental schemes.
Apart from elaborate planning for removal of snow from important arteries of Murree, proper traffic plan and its publicity should also be ensured to avoid any tragedy in future.
