CS Seeks Explanation on e-Biz Portal Delays– 183 services available on portal; 34 more to be added soon

By Farzana Chaudhry – Lahore, Pakistan

LAHORE: Chief Secretary Punjab Zahid Akhtar Zaman has taken strong notice of applications pending for more than 15 days on the e-Biz Portal and has directed the relevant departments to submit an immediate report on the delays.

Presiding over a meeting at the Civil Secretariat, the Chief Secretary was informed that 32 applications had exceeded the official processing timeline. These delays were identified in the departments of Local Government, Housing, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), and the Punjab Food Authority. He instructed the departments to seek explanations from the responsible officials and present a detailed report without further delay.

The Chief Secretary said the e-Biz Portal was launched on the instructions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to provide citizens with simplified, transparent, and home-based access to government services. The portal enables complete digital verification and approval of NOCs and permits through a fully paperless system.

He emphasized that the portal’s success depends on ensuring that citizens do not need to visit government offices and that all applications are processed within the 15-day maximum timeline. Any delay, he noted, undermines the government’s commitment to efficient and transparent service delivery. He directed all departmental heads to personally monitor the portal’s data and ensure timely facilitation of the public.

The Chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) briefed the meeting that the portal now offers 183 services, with 34 additional services set to be launched soon. So far, the portal has received over 11,000 applications, of which 10,000 have been processed and approved digitally.

The meeting was attended by the Secretaries of Finance, Communications and Works, the Director General LDA, and other senior officials. All administrative secretaries, divisional commissioners, and deputy commissioners participated via video link.