Daily Times

KARACHI: Local Government Department Sindh has taken over the control of officials of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, informed by KMC employees.

Mayor Karachi has been made powerless in this respect and LGD has also started directing the KMC officials for discharging their respective official obligations on its directives.

The officials of Municipal Services, Engineering Department, Food Department and Finance Department of KMC after coming under the direct control of LGD have started getting directives from LGD officers.

On LGD directives, KMC officials have also started passing on directives of LGD to their respective sub-ordinate officers for discharging daily official chores.

LGD has also issued notices to 13 KMC officials of Basic Pay Scale 17-19 cadre, working as OPS/ex-cadre/out of turn promotions with the directions that since they have not honoured the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP)’s orders , therefore, LGD has asked KMC Metropolitan Commissioner to take action against these officials under the KMC laws.

These officials include, Mukhtar Hussain, senior Director Charged Parking, Qayyum Khan, senior Director Estate Department, Saeed Akhtar, senior Director Law Department, Shoaib Waqar, Director Engineering Department, Raza Abbas Rizvi, Director Municipal Utility Tax Department, Javeed Rahim, former senior Director Human Resources, Dr Ali Abbasi, senior Director Medical Services, Dr Sirajul Haq Tariq, executive Director Karachi Institute of Heart Disease, Dr Razi, Director Food Quality Control Department, Dr Hameed Mustafa, Director Health and Chief Medical Officer District Central and Dr A D Sajnani, Managing Director, Sindh Solid Waste Management Board.

LGD has also suspended 3 officials of KMC working in Parks and Horticulture and Anti Encroachment Department (AED). After this orders , these departments were working without any supervisors.

The LGD in an underhand message has asked these 3 suspended officers to contact secretary LG for the resolution of the problem and on this they would have been restored on their respective posts, insiders have revealed.

The LGD has also included the names of those KMC officials who were on a 6- member committee constituted by Deputy Mayor for taking action against the officials working on non-cadre posts and out of turn promotions under the violation of SCP’s orders.

LGD has also contacted nearly 33 non-cadre/without posting officials of KMC for straightening their office records if they show their willingness to work under the directives of LGD.

Bilal Manzar, a suspended senior Director AED KMC has also been asked by LGD for support on which he would be reinstated on his post.

LGD has also started giving directives to officers of Zoological Garden, Safari Park, Sports Complex, Charged Parking, Enterprises Investment Department, Fire Brigade, Municipal Services, Engineering Department, Internal Audit, City Warden, Fumigation and other departments of KMC.

LGD has still failed in resolving the issue under directives of SCP for streamlining the matters of 261 Karachi Development Authority officers, 300 officials of Malir Development Authority, 43 officers of Lyari Development Authority, 18 officers of federal government department officers and 56 of Sindh government officials besides 198 officers of different District Municipal Corporations.

Qamar Qureshi, President Economic Forum Pakistan while commenting on the action of LGD has opined that this is a direct violation of KMC laws since it is an independent civic body. Mayor Karachi is chief executive of KMC and this act of LGD has usurped his official and legitimate official rights, which is by no means, is a legal step.