‘If the KDA DG’s salary is stopped, he will wake up’

SC hears that employees not paid salaries for 17 months, not taken back after deputation

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) director on Thursday directed the directors-general of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) and Malir Development Authority (MDA) to furnish their explanations as to why the KDA employees working on deputation in MDA were not taken back nor were they paid their salaries for 17 months.

A two-judge bench, comprising justices Gulzar Ahmed and Sajjad Ali Shah, asked both the DGs to furnish their explanations in writing by November 28. The bench was hearing petition filed by 98 KDA employees against their non-repatriation and non-payment of salaries at its Karachi Registry.

During Thursday’s proceedings, the bench members expressed their displeasure over non-payment of salaries to the employees for 17 months.

Justice Shah observed that non-payment of salaries was a serious matter and questioned the KDA high-ups how the employees will be able to make ends meet without being paid.



The top court’s judge remarked that the KDA director-general will wake up if his salary is stopped for a month.

Justice Ahmed asked the KDA DG under what law the employees were sent to the MDA on deputation. The director-general informed that 98 employees, including officers, were transferred to the MDA along with different schemes.

The bench told the DGs of both development authorities to furnish their written explanations in this regard. They were also told to furnish initial details of employment of each employee.

Case history

In their petition, the employees said that the KDA had transferred two schemes to the MDA along with staffers. The employees said the MDA was trying to repatriate them to their parent department, but the KDA was not taking them back.

The judges were informed that as a result of such dispute the employees had not been paid their salaries for the last several months. On the other hand, several other KDA and MDA officers were still working on a deputation basis.