Daily Times

KARACHI: Secretary Local Government and Housing Town Planning Department Rizwan Awan in a summary has suggested to Chief Minister Sindh to hand over Shah Latif Town Scheme-25 and Taiser Town Scheme-45 back to Karachi Development Authority (KDA).

Making a ground to support his suggestions, Secretary has maintained that KDA had planned these schemes in question and later under Act of 1994 passed by Sindh Assembly, these had been transferred to Malir Development Authority (MDA).

Vide summary Sec/LGD/166.2017, July 17, 2017 he informed the CM that under an order of Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP)’s May 2016 directives, services of 129 officials serving in different departments of MDA on absorption basis have been transferred to their original departments in KDA.

“Another substantial ground to hand over these schemes to KDA is that the Authority has agreed to accept back these officials only if the two schemes would also be handed over to civic development authority”, according to summary.

Despite orders of SCP no 243/2016 and in CP 108-K/2014, KDA had refused to accept these employees of MDA. Secretary has also requested to CM that Rs 100 million as grant could be arranged for these employees. Sindh government was also providing a grant of Rs 200 million for KDA employees in head of salaries .

He also requested to declare these employees in surplus pool and steps should also be taken for their adjustment.

Around 55-60 out of 129 employees have been working since the last 25-30 years and now they have been made scapegoat between administrative tussle of these civic entities.

On the backdrop of this development, officials of MDA have revealed, “This seems a ploy to disband the entity and in result, around hundreds of employees will be rendered jobless”.

MDA along with Lyari Development Authority came into existence in 1994 under an Act of Sindh government.

Published in Daily Times, July 23^rd , 2017.