Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has directed all of its directorates to process official correspondence through the Electronic File and Office Automation System (EFOAS) with immediate effect, as part of a zero paper policy ordered by Commissioner Rawalpindi Division and RDA Director General Salman Ghani. A meeting was held on the directions of the commissioner to review the implementation of the policy, and it was attended by directors, senior officers and concerned staff from various RDA directorates. Participants reviewed the existing system of official correspondence and file processing, and they discussed measures that would allow a smooth transition to paperless administrative operations across the authority.
The commissioner directed all directorates and officers to ensure strict compliance with EFOAS and to gradually eliminate the unnecessary use of physical files, letters and paper based correspondence. Under the new instructions, all official letters, Put Up Cases (PUCs), files and other correspondence for the Administration Directorate must be initiated, forwarded and processed through EFOAS in accordance with the prescribed procedure. Correspondence that is submitted to the Administration Directorate through any other means will not be accepted, which means that officers who still rely on physical documents will have to move to the digital system for any matter that is sent to that directorate.
Responsibility for the process has also been fixed. The concerned directorate and officer will be responsible for timely submission, processing and disposal of letters, PUCs and files through EFOAS, and any delay arising from non submission, late submission or improper processing through the system will be attributed to them. This places accountability on individual officers and directorates for the speed at which cases move, since the system records each step of the process. The arrangement is meant to remove the uncertainty that can arise when files travel between offices in physical form and when it is difficult to establish where a delay occurred.
The meeting noted that the policy is expected to improve efficiency, transparency, accountability and timely disposal of official business, while reducing paperwork and improving administrative workflow. EFOAS will also provide a digital trail of official proceedings, allow real time tracking and monitoring of files, and enable officers to follow the movement and status of their cases. The commissioner also directed all directorates, officers and staff to comply with the instructions in letter and spirit and to extend full cooperation in implementing the policy, so that the transition to paperless working at the authority can be completed without interruption to the handling of official matters.
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