SC orders payment of salaries to KDA employees

98 personnel not paid for 17 months

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) directed the Karachi Development Authority’s (KDA) directors-general on Tuesday to pay salaries to its 98 employees, which are outstanding for the last 17 months.

A two-judge bench, comprising Justices Gulzar Ahmed and Sajjad Ali Shah, also directed the secretary of the provincial local government department to have meetings with the directors-general of KDA and Malir Development Authority (MDA) on repatriation of these employees to evaluate them to join their duties by the next date of hearing.



The directives came on a petition filed by the employees against their non-repatriation and non-payment of salaries.

The KDA employees also complained that they were transferred to the MDA on deputation along with two schemes and now their parent organisation is not ready to take them back, despite the schemes being called back. Taking exception to such an attitude, the apex court had summoned the DGs of the KDA and MDA in person to explain why the employees were not being taken back and not being paid their salaries.



On Tuesday, the KDA DG and other officals appeared. The judges clearly told the KDA chief that if the employees were not paid, then the court will be forced to halt his salary as well. The DG informed the judges that he was ready to allow the employees to join back, adding that they will be absorbed in the authority.

The bench ordered the KDA DG to ensure that the salaries withheld for the last 17 months were paid to the petitioners within two weeks.