PHA goes fully digital, shifts all official work online

LAHORE: The Punjab Horticulture Authority (PHA) has expanded its use of the digital office automation system — introduced by the Punjab government last summer — to include routine correspondence, Director General Raja Mansoor Ahmad announced Tuesday.

In a communique addressed to directorate heads, Mr Ahmad said that “all files and cases shall be initiated, processed, examined, and approved” through the E-Filing and Office Automation System (e-FOAS) digital system.

The e-FOAS system is already active across the umbrella organisation of district horticultural agencies, which use it for official business.

The letter was issued in response to the directions of the chief secretary Punjab who stressed the need to eliminate paperwork and increase administrative efficiency.

According to Mr Ahmad, the digital system will standardise transparency, reduce delays, and accelerate the resolution of public grievances.

The PHA has already digitised the process of outdoor commercial advertisements to improve ease of doing business. In the first phase, applications related to three services — registration of firms, no-objection certificates (NOCs) for commercial installations such as billboards, and temporary campaign permissions — have been moved to e-Biz, an online portal.

Through e-Biz, the PHA’s marketing wing has introduced a single-window system allowing firms to apply, submit documents, and pay fees through one streamlined platform.

Mr Ahmad had said at the time that digitisation of services was a step toward making PHA a more business-friendly organisation as envisioned by the chief secretary. “We want to remove every unnecessary hurdle that businesses face when seeking approvals,” he had said.