By Syed Wahaj Ahmed
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh expressed displeasure over performance of the maritime organisations and lambasted top officers about negligence and adopting delaying-tactics to address genuine and fair problems of poor and needy lower officials.
The minister said this while presiding over Khuli Kachehri organised at Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC)’s building late Saturday evening with a view to getting first-hand information and addressing complaints and grievances of stakeholders and officials from the maritime industry. The open forum provided an opportunity for all officials to directly interact with the minister and share their concerns and recommendations for overhauling the sector.
The minister ordered top officers of organisations not to stop anybody, if a complainant is eager to apprise him of genuine issues.
He ordered the officers on the spot to resolve the matters-cum-issues including withheld payment of salary, appointments, mismanagement, poor governance and others. He admonished officers for delaying tactics and excesses being committed by them (officers).
The minister assured the stakeholders that their voices would be heard without any discrimination and their issues would be addressed on the spur of the movement. He issued special directives to resolve the issues on top priority so that complainants could get immediate relief.
A large number of officials of various maritime organisations which included Port Qasim Authority (PQA), Karachi Port Trust (KPT), Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC), Marine Fisheries Department (MFD) and Korangi Fish Harbour Authority (KoHFA) and other teams and associations thronged the conference hall.
It was attended by representatives of different stakeholders, including Chairman of Port Qasim Authority Rear Admiral (R) Syed Hasan Nasir Shah HI(M), Chairman of Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Syed Syedain Raza Zaidi and executive directors of PNSC, representatives of MFD and KoHFA along with their teams and associations.
Earlier, the minister chaired a performance review meeting with a view to scrutinising the progress and achievements of key maritime organisations. During the meeting, the minister reviewed the performance of each organisation, while discussing their successes, challenges, and areas for improvement. He mainly focused on enhancing efficiency, productivity, and service delivery in the maritime sector so that this sector can play a more vital role in this main industry of the country.
All officers concluded with a commitment to implement suggestions and action plans to bring about growth and development in the maritime sector.
Name of Organisations Under The Ministry of Maritime Affairs:
- Port Qasim Authority, Karachi.
- Karachi Port Trust, Karachi.
- Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, Karachi.
- Gwadar port Authority, Gwadar.
- Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority, Karachi.
- Marine Fisheries Department, Karachi
- Pakistan Marine Academy Karachi.
- Mercantile Marine Department, Karachi.
- Government Shipping Office, Karachi.
- Port & Shipping Wing, Karachi.
