Junior officers of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) have been assigned additional charges of higher-grade posts which have been allegedly “vacated” for them by suspending several senior officers of the authority on “petty” charges. Moreover, the junior officers are now conducting enquiries initiated against their seniors, Pakistan Today has reliably learnt.
Sources in LDA said that nepotism is rampant in the Authority and government laws and the deputation policy are being blatantly violated to accommodate “favourites” who are being deputed to higher grade posts or are being hired on contract basis.
“Six officials of Grade 14, 17 and 18 have been deputed at Grade 19, 20, 21 positions whereas many favourites have been deputed as deputy directors on contract basis,” said the sources, adding that the limit for deputation is also being flouted. “Most of the officials have been serving on the deputed posts for the past four to seven years,” they added.
NO DIFFERNCE BETWEEN GRADE 17 AND 19:
Several officers are also serving additional charges of higher grades, sources said.
According to sources, Grade 17 officer Usman Ghani is serving in Grade 19 as director estate management; Grade 17 officer Rai Ashraf is serving in Grade 19 as director of town planning and commercialisation for the past three years; Grade 18 officer Amara Khan is presently serving in Grade 20 as additional DG (housing); Grade 17 officer Khalid Lodhi is serving in the CCMP branch for the past four years; whereas Grade 17 officer Khalid Pervaiz is serving for the past four years as director (admin) and director (CMI).
Another Grade 17 officer Rana Shehzad is working as DG (headquarters) – a post for Grade 19 officials.
“Grade 17 officer Suhail Janjua has been serving in Grade 19 for the past seven years. Moreover, he was also granted additional deputation for two years just a few days back,” sources said.
Several other officials of Grade 17 and Grade 18 are deputed in Grade 19. These include Director (Revenue) Amir Khan, DG HQ Amna Muneer, Directors (Private Housing Schemes) Salma Sajjad Qureshi, Director Fawad Qureshi, Nadeem Abbas Bhango and Waheed Butt.
The officers hired on contract basis include Colonel Fawad and Major Safdar Awan among others.
“Several officers, who were not duly qualified, have ‘forcibly’ occupied several posts in LDA, flouting merit and transparency,” said the sources, adding that deserving candidates are not being promoted.
SUSPENSION FOR A ‘CAUSE’:
The sources also named several officers who have been suspended “so that their posts can be handed over to the favourite junior officers”.
According to sources, “Local government ordinance was not changed and the Punjab chief secretary exercised his powers according to the PEEDA Act 2006 to suspend several officers.”
The suspended Grade 19 officers include additional director general Irfan Bhatti, directors (commercialisation) Faheem Ahmed and Rana Yaqub, director (accounts) Haroon Rashid, director TME Abdul Razzaq and director (engineer) Asad Jaffery, while director Rana Usman tendered his own resignation.
Four deputy directors including Asad Dogar, Tahir Awan, Afzal Bhatti, senior assistant officer Babar Butt, seven assistant directors including Shajar Abbas, Rehmeen Chaudhry, Shakir Elahi, Chaudhry Abbass and Haji Anwar were also suspended, sources said, adding that about 80 patwaris, clerks, naib tehsildars, drivers, electricians, lift operators, guards and several other employees were also suspended.
WITHER HEIRARCHY?
Furthermore, enquiries have been initiated against 11 other directors of the authority, sources said, adding that though the enquiries have to be conducted against Grade 18 and 19 officers, the enquiry committee has been formed under LDA DG who is also in Grade 19.
“The LDA DG is serving in Grade 19 for the past three years whereas LDA also has powers of Kasur, Nankana, Sheikhupura and Lahore tehsils,” sources said.
They added that the pensions of several officials have also been withheld. These officials include Nouman Ahmed, Ahmed Mumtaz, Khawaja Javed Aslam, Khawaja Tauqeer, Shakeel Ahmed Minhas, Sheikh Khalid, Nadeem Akhtar Zaidi, Tariq Mehmood, Khawaja Muhammad Ali, Saeed Akhtar and Sheikh Qayyum.
The gravity of the situation can be ascertained from a letter by LDA Director (Research) Nawab Ahmed Mukhtar written to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in which the senior officer has pointed out deputation of junior officials at coveted positions in the authority.
The letter sent to the CM and available with Pakistan Today states, “Innumerable junior officers of BS 17 brought on deputation by you have been posted as director in BS 19 illegally and they are enjoying all power, perks and benefits entitled to the BS 19 officers unauthorisedly. Many of them are also enjoying exorbitant salaries. So much so that BS 17 officers were posted as ADG, a senior position below the LDA DG, who had been/are commanding senior BS 19 officers of LDA posted as Directors.”
ALL DEPUTATIONS ON MERIT:
Speaking to Pakistan Today, LDA DG’s spokesman Suhail Janjua said that all additional charges were handed on the basis of merit and all deputed officials are CSP officers.
“Officials of other departments are being deputed in LDA as the Authority is short of officers,” he said, adding that directors are “working on their own posts and giving due promotions”.
Regarding exceeding of the limit for deputed officials, he said, “Only the federal government time bars the tenure of deputed officials. As per the 1998 policy of the Punjab government, the time period of the tenure can be increased.”
