Gone are the days when the Karachi Development Authority enjoyed dominance in dealing with the affairs of the city of lights: Karachi. Its director generals proved themselves to keep their fingers on the pulses of their thousands of employees and did many things for them unprecedented. They set many examples for others to follow. Z A Nizami was one of the proverbial director generals of the functionary who had a nation-wide reputation and used to be interviewed as a role model town planner.
Now entire complexion of the situation has changed. The Sindh Local Government Ordinance-2001 has been one of the driving factors involved to shift the perspective which brought the KDA under the sheer control of those officers who come from other departments. The shifting perspective has proved officers of other departments to take a breathing space in the affairs of the metropolis.
Due to the shifting perspective, the metropolis has received much as far as its town planning is concerned but KDA used to be called as an autonomous body and its employees suffered a lot. Its substantial and sustained resources of income have now almost dried up. In the planning of the metropolis, neither any voice from the town planners of KDA was ever heard nor have the issues directly pertaining to the employees of KDA been given preference. Now the employees of KDA are compelled to feel marginalized as their cases of promotions, benefits and medical facilities are denied. The Human Resource Department, always run by the officers other than that of the KDA, is reluctant to hold a Department Promotion Committee for the employees of KDA over time.
The case of upgradation for the finance department employees of KDA has been in a state of limbo for quite some time. On the other hand, the officers of other departments have triumphed to issue many council resolutions in the name of reorganization of their posts in order to upgrade their employees. I can cite many examples in which the employees and pensioners of KDA have been pushed to the wall. Many applications from KDA pensioners are pending in which they are seeking their subscription towards Contributory Provident Fund revised. These applicants are shown the door on the much-used pretext of financial constraints. Many examples are at hand where the officers of other departments are enjoying financial autonomy in managing affairs of its employees and pensioners.
With the situation in view, I want to invite the attention of the administrator and metropolitan commissioner of KMC to pay heed to the issues of KDA employees and devise a system to settle a case on merit.
JAWED AHMED KHURSHEED
Karachi
