LAHORE: The Punjab government has not as yet appointed chairmen and other functionaries of the important district health and education authorities despite the passage of nine months of the induction of local government system in the province.

The system was inducted while wrapping up the devolution based local government system of the Musharraf government.

The PML-N government, while giving its own local council system, had claimed that it would follow the devolution agenda through the independent district health and education authorities.

A high level committee had on Saturday finalised the names of the chief executive officers (CEOs) for the district health authorities butthey would again be notified af ter the approval of the chief minister who is in London these days.

The authorities were created upon the induction of local governments in January this year, appointing all deputy commissioners as their administrators and executive district of ficers (EDOs) of health and education their CEOs on ad hoc basis.

The rules of the authorities were notified in August and according to reports the authorities have not been as yet able to function as per the concept of their creation because of want of their of ficials who were to be taken from the private and public sectors on a contract basis.

Officials said that the health department was vigorously pursuing the issue of appointing the officials for the health authorities. But they agreed that none of their chairmen, vice-chairmen or members had so far been appointed.Officials in the education department said the chairmen and vicechairmen had been selected but they would be notified after an approval by the chief minister. `It now depends on the approval by the chief minister,` an of ficial said.

He said so f ar as the appointment of the CEOs was concerned it had been stayed by LHC`s Multan Bench. Till the resolution of the legal tussle, the present EDOs would continue to work, the of ficial said.

A senior of ficial said a minister was interviewing people for the appointment of chairmen and vice-chairmen of health authorities but it would take some time to make appointments.

`Yes, the authorities can deliver as per their mandate only if they are run by officials other than deputy commissioners. They are the face of the government, obey its orders and it means the authorities are being run by the government itself,` he said.