LAHORE – Tourism and Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) has nosedived in deep crisis as Tourism Secretary Aamir Ashraf Khawaja is at loose to violate administrative and financial rules, giving no regards to the orders of Lahore High Court.
According to sources in TDCP, Aamir, also the acting TDCP managing director, ‘never bothered sanctity of rules’ and terminated Senior Tourism Officer Muhammad Arif from his service, setting aside procedural requirement laid down in TDCP rules and regulation, for ‘petitioning in court against him to protect the rights of employees of TDCP’.
FOR THE 50 PERCENT RAISE: An official of TDCP said that Arif, former employees’ trustee, filed a petition in December last year against the secretary and GM Finance Shahzad Raza for depriving TDCP employees of 50 percent raise in their salaries. Arif, being employees’ trustee, also denied being a part of illegal move to transfer an amount of Rs 40 million of provident fund trust to NIB bank, he said. TDCP employees and officials also joined hands with Arif ‘smelling a rat in the plan by the high-ups’, he added.
CONTEMPT OF COURT: The official said that Arif moved contempt of court when both heads took back 20 percent raise given to the employees in violation of court orders. As court snubbed them during contempt of court proceeding on January 21, the accused was issued show cause notice for removal from service in personal grudge and was ordered to appear for personal hearing on January 27, by secretary tourism in TDCP office.
SACKED: “As per procedural requirements, show cause notices are served thrice, add is published in different section of press and almost it takes one month to complete the procedure,” he said. “However, in case of Muhammad Arif, tourism secretary was so flared up that he decided the case in one day despite the fact that show-cause could not be served to the Arif and dismissed him from service denying his right to defend himself,” he said.
Moreover, Assistant Tourism Officer Shiraz Akhtar was absent from office over the last one year. Though TDCP had ads published against him but he has not been terminated so far, the official added. In another case, TDCP GM Finance Shahzad Raza and Account Officer Muhammad Qamar Gohar were found involved in submission of fake application with fake signature of Altaf Ahmed Ranjah for an advance of Rs 50,000 from employees provident fund. Inquiry was initiated against them but they were not issued show cause notices, he maintained.
NEW APPOINTMENT, FUNDS TRANSFER: Tourism secretary also appointed new trustee, Rana Tahir Mehmood, in place of Arif and also managed to transfer the said amount of Provident Fund Trust in NIB, despite opposition by TDCP employees, who have now decided to get a case registered against him in Anti-Corruption Department.
ALLEGEDLY BACKED: Sources in Chief Minister’s Secretariat told Pakistan Today that Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif, who was the chairman of TDCP, allegedly had a soft corner for the Tourism secretary and despite latter was proved guilty of ‘mocking the rules and defied contempt of court’, no action had been taken against him.
Meanwhile, secretary tourism is also facing two adjournment motions submitted in the Punjab Assembly. Students and teachers of Institute of Tourism have also complained against him for dislocating the institute of Tourism for vested interest.
A FINANCIAL CRUNCH? : During the last court hearing on January 21, court reprimanded Tourism secretary for paying Rs 0.35 million for hiring the services of lawyer in a situation when he pleaded in court that TDCP was in financial crunch and could not give the 50 percent raise to employees. The court ordered secretary to explain the contradiction on next date of hearing on February 2.
MOREOVER: Sources said that Tourism Secretary and GM finance were also alleged to have received commission in the contract of Changa Manga Resort with private company. They also gave a contract to their close relative for the renovation of Jallo Park Resort. Over the last two years, they failed to lease out the Jallo Park Resort, causing million of rupees financial loss to TDCP annually. GM finance denied all the accusations and termed them fabricated to gain political mileage.
