RDA gets new boss: Former DG under scanner

Probe initiated against Makeen Shahbaz for obtaining promotion unlawfully.

RAWALPINDI:

Punjab government has appointed Chaudhry Naseer Ahmed as the Rawalpindi Development Authority’s (RDA) new Director General. Currently he has been serving as Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Managing Director.

Informed sources in RDA told The Express Tribune that the Punjab government had appointed Naseer Ahmed, a grade 20 officer as RDA DG after Furqan Bahadur Khan refused to take the charge of the office upon being promoted to grade-21.

Meanwhile authorities have started probe into the allegations against the outgoing DG, it has been learnt.

Officials in RDA said, the provincial chief secretary has asked the secretary Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering to submit a detailed report on the allegations that the former RDA boss Makeen Shahbaz obtained BPS-20 in violation of rules and regulations and got himself promoted to the post of DG in 2009.

All the autonomous departments of urban development in major districts of Punjab are administratively controlled by the Ministry of Housing. The ministry is responsible for promotions and appointments of the top officials in the development authorities.

Anwar Baran, who has served as deputy director in RDA, complained to the provincial government, alleging that the promotion of Shahbaz in BPS-20 was not recommended by the departmental promotion committee.

Baran has alleged that the provincial finance department had also not notified the promotion. Moreover, he said, Shahbaz influenced the Directorate of Finance and audit in RDA, an autonomous body and obtained the salary and other perks for the DG from the financially independent authority. Despite several calls on his cellphone,  Shahbaz was not available to comment on the allegations against him.



Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2011.