The erstwhile clean and neat Federal Secretariat that once used to be an epitome of efficiency and administration is itself presenting a picture of neglect and inefficiency with tall grass, heaps of garbage and overflowing gutters have become synonymous with it.
A visit to the Secretariat on Wednesday showed how the city’s administration agency, the Capital Development Authority (CDA), has turned a blind eye to the upkeep and maintenance of the Secretariat, the topmost government department from where all the federal departments, offices and divisions take powers.
Blocks A, B, C, D as well as P, Q, R and S of the Secretariat are perhaps the most adversely-affected with regard to the cleanliness standards and maintenance. Their parking lots are coloured with grass and backside areas are simply impassable.
One of the employees of the Federal Secretariat, Adnan, regretted that the Federal Secretariat, once an example of international standards of maintenance and picture of good governance, is now left to the mercy of the peons and naibqasid. “There is no proper staff deputed to prune the shrubs, cut the grass and trim the plants. Similarly, the sanitation situation is also below the mark. The federal secretariat’s bath rooms are the places neither visitors nor the employees would like to use and there, too, the relevant directorates of the CDA look helpless.
People from all over the country visit the Federal Secretary for resolution of their matters. Similarly, international delegations and ambassadors arrive here to hold meetings, sign agreements with the Federal Secretaries or other senior officials. It must be a shock for them to see water pooled outside the Ministry of Economic Affairs or unkempt grass outside the Ministry of Education & Professional Training, said a senior employee Khalid who is nearing his retirement.
He recalled the days when the Federal Secretariat used to be picture perfect with regard to governance and maintenance, however, now the CDA Chairman, perhaps owing to his dual charge as Chief Commissioner has little time to pay attention to the matters relating to maintenance of buildings and cleanliness of the city, he said.
