The Sindh Cabinet has terminated all re-employed officers and officials from grade 1 to grade 22 and abolished the trend of own pay and scale (OPS) with immediate effect from Tuesday.

The decision was taken at a Sindh Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Tuesday. Briefing media persons after the meeting, Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri said that only technical staff, police officers and district coordination officers (DCOs) would be exempted from this decision.

Adviser to CM Rashid Rabbani and Director Information SM Iqbal were also present at the briefing.

Marri said that the purpose of these decisions was to ensure good governance in the province and to do justice with the government employees and officers. She said that the aircraft crew of the Sindh chief minister and governor would also be exempted from this decision. “CM has the power to reappoint technical staff as per requirement but no minister has the power to make reappointments,” she said, adding that all OPS officers would be repatriated to their original grades and postings.

Expressing concern over the practices of the previous regime, the Sindh Cabinet also decided to hold regular meetings of the departmental promotion committees (DPCs) with regard to the promotion of employees and officers.

Marri said that the cabinet was informed that the DPCs did not hold regular meetings in the past five years and favourite officers and employees were promoted out of turn, and this trend destroyed the entire administrative structure in the province by violating the Sindh Civil Servants Act-1973.

The OPS culture did not only violate the rules but it also created resentment among the deserving employees, she added.

The minister said that all the DPCs have been directed to convene their meetings within one month and clear the promotions pending for a long period. She said that, after these promotions, the vacancies would be filled with new recruitments.

It was also decided to take action against the vehicles having tinted glasses and bearing AFR and fancy number plates, the minister said and added that the police had been directed to take action without any discrimination, whether they be politicians or bureaucrats, as the government wants to discourage crime.

She further said that the cabinet has approved the amendment in the Sindh Goth Abad Housing Scheme Act-1987 in order to include rural areas in the development.

Marri said that the cabinet has also proposed an amendment in the SLGO-2001 to rename the city, town and Talukha, since this could not be changed under the existing act. She disclosed that the resolution to name District Nawabshah after Benazir Bhutto could not be enforced in Sindh Assembly due to this restriction in the SLGO.

The minister said that the cabinet held a discussion on the stocks of wheat situation in the province and Food Minister Nadir Magsi informed the cabinet that the target to procure 200,000 tonnes of wheat has been achieved. The cabinet has decided to provide more vehicles to Food Department for the procurement of wheat.

She disclosed that the cabinet was surprised over the reports of mistakes and misappropriation committed in the Thar Coal Project. She said many MoUs were signed with foreign countries and organisations but nothing was achieved, while a huge chunk of money was spent on these MoUs.

The minister informed that an MoU was signed with a fake and non-existent Soneri Energy Company by the previous government. She said that the government would take action against the authorities of Sindh Coal Development Authority.

Marri said that the government wants to revive the project in order to use coal for power generation.

To a question about the decision to induct MQM in the cabinet, Marri said no such issue came under discussion at the cabinet meeting.