LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday ordered a strict crackdown on officials involved in illegal activities and bringing a bad name to the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (Pera), warning that such personnel could face imprisonment instead of brief detention.
Chairing the fourth meeting of PERA force, the chief minister directed authorities to install body cameras for Pera personnel by June 30 and ordered scrutiny of 4,000 officials. She directed authorities to upgrade Pera’s internal intelligence and whistleblower systems. She said the record of every official would be examined thoroughly, adding that personnel with clean records should remain confident while those involved in wrongdoing should be ready for action. She ordered exemplary punishment against elements defaming the force.
Officials briefed the chief minister that Pera had secured ISO certification and that the force’s sanctioned strength stood at 8,000, of which 4,711 positions had already been filled. Recruitment has been carried out through the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC).
The meeting was informed that training for Pera SDOs under the Punjab Administrative Service (PAS) would commence from June 1, while enforcement and investigation officers would receive training at Rescue 1122 and PTC Chung.
Officials said recruitment of 7,000 personnel would be completed by the end of June. Out of 155 Enforcement Stations (ES), 133 have become operational, while the remaining stations would be functional by June. They stated that Pera was currently providing services under 15 special initiatives, including inspection of marriage halls, checking petrol pumps, market closing operations and other regulatory assignments.
Authorities informed the meeting that strict action against hoarding and profiteering had resulted in registration of 11 FIRs, imposition of fines exceeding Rs20 million and arrest of 6,557 individuals. In anti-encroachment operations, 9,036 kanals have been retrieved, while over 262,000 raids have been conducted. The meeting was informed that in line with the chief minister’s policy, emphasis had been placed on corrective measures instead of registration of FIRs, with only 439 FIRs lodged. Officials said 15 to 16 different software systems were being integrated into the PERA 360 dashboard, all challans would be digitised while the conviction rate currently stood at 97 per cent.
