Probe opened into hirings on ‘political grounds’

Hyderabad municipal depts found wracked with illegal appointments

HYDERABAD:

The Sindh government has taken notice of appointments in municipal bodies of Hyderabad through political influence.

In this regard, an officer of Sindh local body department will investigate the matter and submit report to the Sindh government within seven days.

The inquiry officer has sought for the five-year records of the employees from administrators and chief municipal officers of the local government of relevant three districts.

The officer has warned that if the records are not submitted, concerned officers will be held responsible for causing loss to the public treasury.

Many people get jobs in local body department on the basis of political influence.

Officers allowed such people to join the office, without verifying the record.

The Sindh Local Government Board has appointed Amjad Ali Pathan as Inquiry Officer.

Amjad Ali Pathan has sent a letter to the administrators of local bodies of Hyderabad district to submit the records.

The letter said, "It has been observed that several employees have been adjusted in the municipal bodies on the basis of fake service certificates.

However, the competent authority has taken notice and an inquiry has been initiated to identify such bogus appointments." The concerned officers have been directed to submit the five-year bank statement, payroll, audited salary bill from the assistant director of Local Fund Audit and service box records of the employees.

The letter states that in case of failure to submit the said records, the concerned administrators will be held responsible for the loss of public funds.

Sources said that such letters are issued only for record-keeping and no action has been taken on these letters till date.

No institution will be able to provide the records requested in the said letter.

Almost all institutions including Hyderabad Municipal Corporations do not have service records of employees.

The biggest example of this is that departmental promotion committees have been established in Hyderabad Municipal Corporations about three times during the last two years.

Each time these committees requested the employees to submit their service records for promotion.

The agency does not have any personnel books of the employees, while the influential employees get their promotions faster.

Sources said that no action would be taken on the inquiry letter issued on November 25.