Illegal appointments: For job security, palm-greasing still popular option
ICT staff allegedly inducting daily-wagers for bribes, attempting to have them regularised; investigation underway.
ISLAMABAD:
The ‘price’ of a permanent job with the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICT) has been set at Rs200,000.
With regularisation of daily-wage workers on the cards, a cash-for-jobs exchange has been unearthed in the ICT. Sources within the body revealed that over 50 daily-wage employees were inducted in 12 rural union councils (UC) in exchange for bribes. These daily-wagers are now eligible for regularisation whenever it takes place.
Last year, former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani announced that all daily-wage employees of government departments would be regularised after the departments forwarded lists of such employees to a special committee headed by Khurshid Shah.
Under the decision, government employees have already been regularised in the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), Pakistan Television (PTV), the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) and the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE).
The ICT had also forwarded a list of its daily-wage employees to the special standing committee on the cabinet headed by Khurshid Shah. According to documents seen by The Express Tribune, 140 daily-wage workers in different ICT departments were to be regularised under the basic criteria of one year of service as a daily wager. The list shows 82 staffers working in 12 UCs, 40 in the local government and 18 in the agriculture department. It also includes the names of the illegally appointed staffers.
Sources said the illegal inductions were completed by forging the signature of Finance Director Rana Akbar Hayat before the regularisation list was sent out.
In the whole exercise, local government department Executive Engineer (XEN) Saifullah Aasi, Admin Officer Mansoorul Haq and clerical staffer Muhammad Shabbir were involved along with lower clerical staff in the forging of signatures, said an official.
The source revealed that these officials allegedly took Rs200,000 as kickbacks from each of the 50 daily-wagers after inducting them in different grades.
Mansoorul Haq, who was the in charge of Dam I and II in Kirpa UC, was also illegally appointed as an administrative officer in the local government department during this time, he added.
On the other hand, there remains a shroud of anxiety over staffers who have been working since as far back as 2000 who await regularisation but fear they may be passed over due to this practice.
When questioned about the issue, ICT Finance Director Rana Akbar Hayat said only one person was inducted in his tenure as a daily wager, saying he was unaware of how his signature was forged and used.
“I have checked the records and am trying to understand how this was done,” he added. Hayat claimed he took charge in 2011 and was unaware of the inductions in question.
“I requested the chief commissioner to probe this issue and he ordered an inquiry...I hope the culprits end up behind bars,” he added.
Islamabad Chief Commissioner Tariq Mehmood Pirzada said he has taken notice of the issue and has appointed Administration Director Chaudhry Muhammad Ali as the inquiry officer, with a report on his findings to be presented this week.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 28th, 2012.
The ‘price’ of a permanent job with the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICT) has been set at Rs200,000.
With regularisation of daily-wage workers on the cards, a cash-for-jobs exchange has been unearthed in the ICT. Sources within the body revealed that over 50 daily-wage employees were inducted in 12 rural union councils (UC) in exchange for bribes. These daily-wagers are now eligible for regularisation whenever it takes place.
Last year, former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani announced that all daily-wage employees of government departments would be regularised after the departments forwarded lists of such employees to a special committee headed by Khurshid Shah.
Under the decision, government employees have already been regularised in the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), Pakistan Television (PTV), the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) and the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE).
The ICT had also forwarded a list of its daily-wage employees to the special standing committee on the cabinet headed by Khurshid Shah. According to documents seen by The Express Tribune, 140 daily-wage workers in different ICT departments were to be regularised under the basic criteria of one year of service as a daily wager. The list shows 82 staffers working in 12 UCs, 40 in the local government and 18 in the agriculture department. It also includes the names of the illegally appointed staffers.
Sources said the illegal inductions were completed by forging the signature of Finance Director Rana Akbar Hayat before the regularisation list was sent out.
In the whole exercise, local government department Executive Engineer (XEN) Saifullah Aasi, Admin Officer Mansoorul Haq and clerical staffer Muhammad Shabbir were involved along with lower clerical staff in the forging of signatures, said an official.
The source revealed that these officials allegedly took Rs200,000 as kickbacks from each of the 50 daily-wagers after inducting them in different grades.
Mansoorul Haq, who was the in charge of Dam I and II in Kirpa UC, was also illegally appointed as an administrative officer in the local government department during this time, he added.
On the other hand, there remains a shroud of anxiety over staffers who have been working since as far back as 2000 who await regularisation but fear they may be passed over due to this practice.
When questioned about the issue, ICT Finance Director Rana Akbar Hayat said only one person was inducted in his tenure as a daily wager, saying he was unaware of how his signature was forged and used.
“I have checked the records and am trying to understand how this was done,” he added. Hayat claimed he took charge in 2011 and was unaware of the inductions in question.
“I requested the chief commissioner to probe this issue and he ordered an inquiry...I hope the culprits end up behind bars,” he added.
Islamabad Chief Commissioner Tariq Mehmood Pirzada said he has taken notice of the issue and has appointed Administration Director Chaudhry Muhammad Ali as the inquiry officer, with a report on his findings to be presented this week.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 28th, 2012.