KARACHI: Work-charge employees at Karachi Development Authority (KDA) have been protesting the non-payment of salaries for the past three years due to the negligence of the Sindh Local Government Department.
The department eventually regularized 51 employees. However, it has been revealed that children of 27 employees were regularized in 2015-16 and given illegal promotions.
One of the regularized employees is Wajahat Khan, the son of Engineering Works Department Admin Director Mehboob Alam. In the same way, Rao Usman, the son of Chief Security Officer Rao Tariq, was also regularized and posted as Grade 16 engineer in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.
Both received one of the fastest promotions ever in the history of KDA due to nepotism. In 2016, they continued to receive salaries as work-charge employees in Grade 7 but have now been promoted to Grade 16 in a span of just four years.
The illegal postings and promotions were facilitated by then Secretary KDA and Director IT along with other officers of the Engineering Department. Massive irregularities in postings and promotions have revealed from 2016 showing that seven employees were bestowed with lucrative higher posts in violation of rules.
During this period, many work-charge employees were internally regularized while several other senior workers were ignored or denied their rights due to lack of political patronage. It has been revealed that there is a long list of employees who have been illegal regularized in the organization.
While on one hand the sons of KDA workers are being regularized and given swift postings, many work-charge employees who were recruited in 1990-2000 have yet to given permanent jobs and have neared retirement.
KDA, which is one key institution in the city responsible for development projects, has been facing neglect and mismanagement since the past several years. Many work-charge employees have been protesting the non-payment of salaries since the past three years.
Sources revealed that federal agencies are set to commence legal actions against the illegal postings and promotions and an operation is expected against the KDA in the upcoming days.
