The Capital development Authority (CDA) while investigating illegal upgradation, designation and change of cadre found that merit and laws were violated during various such cases and ordered to denotify all these illegal upgradations made on pick and choose approach without following the standard procedure. The inquiry committee observed that only one case of change of cadre was done after due observance of rules and regulations. All other cases of upgradations, re-designations and change of cadre have been made without observing the laid down procedure, rather picking & choosing and in certain cases, without having an upgraded post. The committee found these violations during investigation and fact finding. The committee in its final recommendations while observing the severe violation of merit and laws, ordered to de-notify all those upgradations, re-designations and change of cadre made on illegal ground. A source in HRD directorate told that around 1,000 cases were handled illegally, violating the merit and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), while credible employees of the civic agency were neglected in the upgradation process. He added that as mentioned in audit report recently published, dozens of employees of grade 16 & 17 were recruited in CDA without advertising the posts. In addition, some of the employees recruited illegally without ads were once again upgraded violating the bylaws and merits. ‘Finance wing deputy director of the civic agency who recently submitted a report in Supreme Court of Pakistan, predicted that around 1,000 illegal upgradations, re-designation and change of cadre incurred a financial loss to the civic agency. Some of the officials were victimised as well as the repute of the [HR] department badly tainted,” the source added. Another source added that some of the severe violations were made during the former Chairman CDA Afzal Latif when merit and procedures were not followed due to which the credibility of the civic agency severely affected. However, the new Chairman CDA Amer Ali Ahmad- on the recent chaos inside the civic agency caused by violation of merits and illegalities in up gradations- formed a 3 members committee which will submit a report to the Chairman in upcoming sixty days. The chairman ordered the committee to monitor all those cases relieved by the previous committees, scrutinise all cases regarding illegal upgradations, re-designations and change of cadre in upcoming sixty days thereby de-notifying all those cases in violations of merit and SOPs. Chairman CDA has also directed that since some upgradations, re-designations and change of cadre were made at directorate level, therefore all concerned directors are ordered to submit such cases before the above mentioned committee and clarify that no such cases have been left out. In case of failure, they may be dealt with disciplinary proceedings. The three member committee constitutes Dr. Shahid Mahmood DG (Water) Nisha Ishtiaq Director (HRD) CDA, while Chudhri Nazir Ahmad of HRDIII. But some of the officers inside CDA already affected from top brass’s victimization are showing up reservations on the biasness of one of the committee members on serving pure justice according to the laws of the CDA, Daily Times has learnt. When contacted, the official spokesman of CDA Safdar Ali Shah added that decisions will be made on merit. Published in Daily Times, February 1st 2019.