LAHORE, Oct 19: The Punjab government is considering amending the law governing the provincial service tribunal to introduce certain changes in its functions after finding it hampered the dispensation of justice by giving ‘undue relief’ to employees approaching it.

“We take action against inefficient and corrupt officials after much hassle. But they get relief from the tribunal within no time. This is rendering us unable to build a team of efficient and honest officials,” a senior official told Dawn here on Sunday.

According to him, in one instance an official was sacked after a spade work of four years but the tribunal reinstated him within 24 hours and without listening to the department concerned.

Officials and officers facing any action or involved in a dispute approach the Punjab Service Tribunal for remedy. And an appeal against its decision can be filed only in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. A person who is eligible to become a judge of the Lahore High Court is appointed as tribunal’s chairman while its members belong to the civil service.

The tribunal functionaries nevertheless say that this happens because of lack of proper pleading of the cases by the government departments. Eventually, the ‘victims’ get the benefit of “lack of interest by the government departments,” they claim.

The senior official claimed that the tribunal had always been sympathetic towards the applicants, preferring their appeals to the circumstances under which they were proceeded against.

“This is not justice. This is a tilt towards one party at the cost of the writ of the government, rendering it unable to shoo the unwanted elements,” he said.

Officials said they were facing problem in taking action even against those facing clear cases.

For example, an official said, a health department employee who had resigned 26 years ago was seeking promotion on the ground that after submitting his resignation he had reported back to the medical superintendent of a hospital. He had submitted the resignation to the health department and could only report to the same to withdraw his decision but he was still pressing for promotion, he added.

Similarly, he said, a female lecturer was on deputation when she was promoted to the rank of assistant professor, and was asked to join her original service for actualising the promotion under the law. But she did not oblige, and instead, asked for the actualisation while on deputation, he added.

Finally, someone from the education department declared that she was presumed to have joined and had her promotion actualised. The lady spent seven years abroad and was now claiming her promotion to the rank of professor, the official claimed.

At present, the tribunal does not have any chairman because the previous one was not given extension in service and the government is now trying to find out a suitable person who can dispense justice without favouring anyone.

To run the tribunal in the meantime, its financial powers have been given to the senior-most member. But the administrative powers are not being assigned to anyone because this is not provided in the related law.

“Staff and officials are exploiting the absence of the chairman. They have ceased to be punctual and there are other administrative problems,” an insider said. — Intikhab Hanif