Powers withdrawn from DCOs

LAHORE - The Punjab government has given administrative control of the protocol pool of vehicles, Circuit Houses, Divisional Public Schools and the residential pools at the Divisional Headquarters to the Divisional Commissioners, as it was prior to the inception of the Devolution Plan in 2001.
Earlier, these four heads were placed under the control of the District Coordination Officers. In order to actualise this, concerned departments have already instructed to issue necessary orders in this regard.
“Under the devolution of powers to Divisional Commissioners, the competent authority has approved these steps for making the office of the Commissioners more effective,” said a source, while considering the step not violating the commitment made to the Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer - ‘Commissioners’ powers not to be in contradiction to the Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2001' - when the Commissionerate System was restored after an assurance was given to the Governor.
The source has further confided that under the old system, the protocol pool of vehicles was maintained by the Divisional Commissioners. In a case of any protocol duty in any of the districts of the Division, these vehicles were sent from the Divisional pool. Since the implementation of the Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2001, all bigger districts, especially five City District Governments - Lahore, Gujranwalla, Multan, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi - have been maintaining their own protocol pools. “The old practice needs to be revived so that the Commissioners are fully involved with the protocol duties,” says the order taken at a high-level meeting, while further ordering the Implementation and Coordination Wing of the Services and General Administration Department to issue instructions in this regard.
Prior to the inception of the Devolution Plan, the Circuit Houses at the Divisional Headquarters were under the administrative control of the Divisional Commissioners, but after the Devolution Plan, the District Coordination Officers have been supervising the Circuit House. The Government claimed, “we need to formally re-designate the Commissioners as Officers Incharge of the Houses.” The Board of Revenue has been directed to take necessary actions for the implementation of the decision.