Despite facing severe financial crunch and being a big defaulter of IESCO, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) inducted as many as 1,374 persons in various scales in the three-year rule of the PPP government while only 633 people were given jobs by the civic authority during Musharraf’s eight-year regime from October 1999 to March 2008.
Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani who is also minister in-charge of the Cabinet Division told the Upper House of the parliament a few days ago in a written reply to the question of PML-N Senator Begum Najma Hameed that 1,374 people had been inducted in the CDA in last three and a half years.
According to the written reply of the minister in-charge of the Cabinet Division, employees working in the CDA on October 12, 1999, with basic pay scales (BPS) and positions are as follows: 21; 2, 20; 6, 19; 44, 18; 104, 17; 281, 16; 195, 15; 40, 14; 98, 13; 39, 12; 68, 11; 339, 10; 41, 9; 155, 8; 194, 7; 682, 6; 264, 5; 1,263, 4; 325, 3; 30, 2; 243 and 1; 6,228 making a total of 10,641.
The employees working in the CDA on March 15, 2008, with BPS and positions are as follows: 21; 1, 20; 6, 19; 45, 18; 106, 17; 287, 16; 240, 15; 42, 14; 102, 13; 43, 12; 81, 11; 476, 10; 40, 9; 228, 8; 227, 7; 782, 6; 319, 5; 1,333, 4; 281, 3; 31, 2; 304 and 1; 6,300, making a total of 11,274. The employees working in the CDA at present with BPS and positions are as follows: 22; 1, 20; 10, 19; 80, 18; 178, 17; 375, 16; 651, 15; 216, 14; 678, 13; 0, 12; 16, 11; 897, 10; 45, 9; 1,567, 8; 262, 7; 1,920, 6; 249, 5; 5,050, 4; 49, 3; 59, 2; 74 and 1; 6,271, making a total of 12,648.
The statistics provided to the Senate reveal that in eight years from October 12, 1999, to March 15, 2008, only 633 people were given jobs in the CDA while the PPP government accommodated 1,374 from March 15, 2008, hitherto.
A source in the Capital Development Authority told Pakistan Today that the extraordinary job creation in the authority in the last three years was not based on workload demand; rather people were accommodated in the civic body on the pressure of PPP leaders hailing from Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
The official said jobs were created at a time when the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was in a shambles due to financial crunch and even unable to start work on over 50 projects lying pending for years. He said over 50 projects of roads, environment, water supply, sewerage lines and others had been lying pending for the last year.
He added the CDA management had announced development work in 11th Avenue in the budget 2008-09, but the scarcity of funds forced the authorities to put the project on the back burner. Commenting on the issue, Senate Standing Committee on Interior Chairman Senator Talha Mehmood said that people were being inducted not only in the CDA but the government was also overburdening Pakistan Railways and PIA with unnecessary appointments.
“Like Railways and PIA, the CDA is turning into white elephant; corruption is rampant in the civic body and the FIA is investigating a case in which 1,000 plots were allotted in one night at Kurri Road,” he said. Senator Talha of JUI-F said the CDA had focused only on posh sectors while other sectors were in dilapidated condition.
Another official of the CDA said 80 percent people were given jobs in the cash-strapped civic body on the orders of local PPP leaders. “The authority neither launched new projects nor did it initiate new residential sectors, so there was no workload that could force the high-ups to enhance its workforce,” the official argued.
It is pertinent to mention here that owing to the financial crunch, Kurri Solid Waste Project worth Rs 600 million had become an issue for the management. The CDA had also announced to computerise the record of the civic body, but so far it could not be done. The CDA had announced to construct a media tower in Blue Area, car parking towers in the city, a sports club in Sector G-8 and flats in G-11, but these projects were lying pending for lack of funds.
In the past the CDA decided to construct a wall on the banks of the River Swan to avoid floods during monsoons, but this project too was lying pending. The Capital Development Authority was defaulting on payment of hundreds of millions of rupees electricity bills to Islamabad Electricity Supply Corporation (IESCO). This nonpayment is creating a dispute between these two departments.
The IESCO has issued repeated notices to the CDA, calling for payment of electricity bills and more than one-time disconnected electricity connections of CDA offices and other installations.
Cash-strapped CDA inducted government’s men generously
