Skeletons in closet: CDA’s process of identifying ghost workers facing delays

Biometric attendance system yet to be installed in all depts of <br /> CDA, MCI

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) process of identifying ghost workers out of 15,000 employees on its payroll is facing delay, official sources said.

The reason these absentee workers go undetected is the delay in the delay in process of installing biometric attendance system in all directorates of CDA, officials told Daily Express requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.

Absence of biometric system helped 2,500 employees who did not appear in the physical audit of CDA, they said.

On reports of ghost employees, ex-member administration Tariq Pirzada had started a process of stage-wise physical identification of all employees in CDA headquarters about a year ago.

During the process 2,500 such employees were identified who were enjoying all perks and pay of regular employees of the authority, CDA but did not appear in person for the physical audit.

Officials said that CDA top brass wants to see biometric attendance in all offices of the authority to make sure that people come and do the work they are paid for. However, they said, 26 inquiry offices lack biometric system. Similarly no system of biometric attendance could be introduced for employees of the zoo, Sector F-9 Park along with some other CDA departments.

Sources said that in absence of biometric system, the employees cannot be termed as ghost or absentee workers.

The issue of invisible employees will become clear only when all departments of the CDA and Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) get biometric attendance facility and the workers are guided to register their biometric attendance at any cost to confirm that they do not exist on files only.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2018.