Senior Punjab officers get Blackberrys

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Anwer Hussain Sumra

LAHORE: The Punjab government has issued Blackberry phones with unlimited calling packages to all provincial secretaries, regional commissioners, district coordination officers (DCOs) and other senior officers posted on key administrative slots, sources in the S&GAD told Daily Times on Saturday.

They said all administrative secretaries (58), DCOs (35) and commissioners (9) had been provided phones. They said 9 phones each were provided to the Board of Revenue and the Planning and Development Board, adding that the phones would be provided to the departments’ senior officials. They said 13 cellular phones had been provided to officials posted in the S&GAD. They said the Punjab government purchased more than 125 phones to distribute to the officers, adding that the cellular phones were provided to them for better communication between officials. Sources said the officers had been directed to keep the phones switched on round-the-clock and to return the phone to the relevant department immediately upon transfer.

Other sources in the Punjab Civil Secretariat said former chief secretary Javed Mehmood had issued the guidelines for the distribution of cellular phones, however, he had not managed to fulfil the task during his tenure.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...09_pg13_10