Daily Times

KARACHI: The Karachi Development Authority (KDA) has refused to vacate a residential bungalow owned by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) but under the KDA’s use as its camp office.

Former Managing Director of KWSB, HashimRazaZaidi, had written a letter on February 23, before his retirement on February 27, allotting the bungalow to Zaheer Abbas, the Superintending Engineer and Project Director Combined Effluent Treatment Plant.

Talking to Daily Times, Zaheer Abbas said that the residence was owned by the KWSB and no other government department could use it under the law.

He said that during his service he had requested for allotment of C-2 bungalow, through a letter written on May 29, 1999. Later, he again approached the department in February 2000 for allotment of bungalow C-1 as an alternative, but was denied on unknown reasons, he lamented. Even after allotment, he was denied of his official right, he added.

“The department according to my scale intimated me that C-1 has been allotted on seniority basis to another official,” he said.

He claimed that the bungalow was given to former MD MisbahuddinFareed some six years, but despite the fact that he had vacated it and gone out of the country for 10 months now, on papers, he was still the occupant. “His men are living in this residence,” he claimed.

“The department has not allotted me even the D-2 bungalow on my request and later it was allotted to an Executive Engineer (Civil),” he said.

When contacted, the director administration and estate said that Zaheer Abbas should be provided with his due official right. “Political affiliation and favouritism has ruined the very fabric of merit and rights of employees of KWSB,” he observed.

He revealed that around 30 percent portion of the bungalow was being used as a camp office, while the rest of the space has been forcibly encroached upon and KDA is reluctant to give it to anybody.

Similarly, bungalow C-3 is occupied by a retired MD, even after his retirement in 2015, he said. “This place was allotted to ImdadMagsi, Superintending Engineer east in 2016 but he was still waiting to taking possession.”

Bungalow C-4 has been allotted to Sindh Rangers director general, and all the vicinity has been declared a red zone.

Commenting on this, Zaheer Abbas claimed, “He was forbidden to enter in C-2 bungalow by Rangers as site has been declared red zone, according to Ranger personnel.”

It was an agreed matter between MD KWSB and DG KDA that staff quarters, flats, occupied by respective departments’ employees would remain in their possession till their retirement, demise or resignation on their own accord.

Sami Siddiqui, the KDA director general, says that the authority would not vacate the premises until it is allotted an alternate space. However, he said, he would vacate the bungalow only if he received a directive to the effect from Jam Khan Shoro, Sindh Minister for Local Governments.

For more than 18 months, KDA has held possession of the bungalow as it was illegally occupied by ArshadVohra, the then Deputy Mayor of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation. Later, Nasir Abbas, former DG of KDA, currently under investigation at Karachi Central Jail by National Accountability Bureau on graft charges.

Published in Daily Times, March 15^th 2018.