Job security: Khangarh municipal body fires staff over fund crunch

Administrator claims the town uses OZT receipts to pay power bills.

SUKKUR:

Khangarh’s taluka municipal administration staff protested on Saturday outside the press club over being sacked in a decision the administrator says was taken because they couldn’t afford the salaries.

Mohammad Sadiq, Fakir Mohammad Mangrio and others said that they were appointed sweepers, peons, watchmen, gardeners and drivers six months ago. They have not been paid since the present Khangarh administrator, Banho Mahar, took charge three months ago, they alleged. They were all reportedly fired by Mahar three days back.

Mahar told The Express Tribune that he had to fire the workers as the town was facing severe financial difficulties. “We are short of funds as a large chunk of our share of the [agricultural] Octrio Zila Tax is used to pay electricity bills and fuel,” said Mahar.

While denying the allegations, Mahar said that his predecessor, the former town administrator, Riaz Mithiyani, had recruited the staff without asking for the budget to pay them. Mithiyani was not immediately available for comment.

There were reports that Mahar enjoyed the support of an influential political family in Ghotki.

The Khangarh administration also reportedly receives over Rs10 million as part of its share from the agricultural tax, with salaries for employees and other expenditures coming to hardly half of that amount.

The protesters alleged that over 200 of the total of 385 municipal employees are working on the private estates and farms of influential landlords instead of at the town. They also insisted that the administrator pay them before Eidul Azha, and give them permanent jobs instead of contracts that run out and are not renewed.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2012.