PAC orders sacking of 19 fake KDA employees

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly has ordered the dismissal of 19 Karachi Development Authority (KDA) employees after it was confirmed that their appointments were fake.

The directive came during a PAC meeting held on Thursday under the chairmanship of senior PPP leader Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, which reviewed audit paras of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA), Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA) and the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA).

Attendees at the meeting included PAC member Taha Ahmed, KDA Director General Asif Jan Siddiqui, HDA DG Asghar Ali Ghanghro, and the WASA CEO.

The committee was informed that although the KDA has 4,000 sanctioned posts, only 2,200 employees are currently working. An internal inquiry identified 53 suspected fake employees, of whom 19 were confirmed bogus, while the verification process for the remaining staff is still underway.

Taking serious notice of the delay in action, Khuhro questioned why disciplinary proceedings had not been initiated against the confirmed cases. The KDA DG informed the committee that the case had been referred to the Local Government Department and assured that termination letters would be issued shortly.

The parliamentary corruption watchdog also expressed concern over the absence of a biometric attendance system in the KDA. The DG admitted that no digital attendance mechanism exists at present, although barcodes are used for tracking files and property-related transactions. He said steps were being taken to introduce a biometric system.

The committee took strong exception to the reclassification and commercial allotment of amenity plots, which it termed a violation of Supreme Court orders. Audit officials told the PAC that several plots reserved for public amenities were leased out to private commercial entities, including Sindbad Park and South City Hospital.

The KDA DG informed the committee that a 28,000-square-yard plot was leased to Sindbad Park between 1981 and 2016 at a nominal rate of Rs5 per square yard, with a monthly rent of Rs1 million. A revised agreement in 2016 increased the rate to Rs18 per square yard, raising the monthly rent to Rs1.5 million.

In the case of South City Hospital, a 3,000-square-yard plot initially allotted to Marvi Medical Centre was reallocated following the cancellation of the earlier allotment in 2023. The new allotment was made at a rate of Rs37,000 per square yard on court orders. Khuhro questioned why the land was not leased at prevailing market rates, raising concerns about loss to the exchequer.

The PAC directed the provincial chief secretary to constitute a special inquiry committee to thoroughly investigate the matter and determine whether the allotments were made in accordance with rules and regulations.

The PAC also expressed concern over the alleged diversion of Rs527 million from pension and General Provident Fund (GPF) accounts to meet salary shortfalls. The matter has been referred to the Local Government secretary for a detailed probe.