Brought to ground: CDA recalls officers from ‘temporary’ high posts

The junior officials had overstayed their additional postings on senior positions.

ISLAMABAD:

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has withdrawn current charge postings to higher grades of around 65 officers of grade 16 to 20. 

According to a notification issued by CDA’s Human Resource Directorate (HRD), the civic agency withdrew the current charge postings where officers were enjoying postings beyond the stipulated six-month temporary period.

The decision has affected eight officers of grade 19, four officers of grade 18, 31 officers of grade 17 and 22 officers of grade 16, all of whom were holding a current charge of one grade above their own.

It is a common practice in CDA, where in a bid to oblige favourites, officials are given current charge of higher grade, in addition to their existing charge, often extending beyond the fixed six months.

After the withdrawal of current charges, the officers have been reverted to their original scales and grades.

A senior HRD official said 24 hours before signing the notification, CDA chairman Tahir Shahbaz asked the officers to voluntarily relinquish their respective current charge, otherwise it would be withdrawn through a notification.



However, only a handful of officers adhered to the direction with the rest giving a deaf ear to the direction that resulted in issuance of the notification.

As per the authority’s service rules, an official cannot retain current charge of higher scale in addition to his original charge for more than six months. However several CDA officials have been holding current charge postings since several years.

In the past, many junior officers were given current charge of higher grades by superseding senior officers who were qualified for promotions to those grades.

A month ago, the Cabinet Division directed CDA to ensure withdrawal of current charges from officers who had served for more than six months. Consequently, the CDA asked them to relinquish the charge and issued the notification in this regard.

Shahbaz said the decision would help in ending corrupt practices in the authority and diminishing the influence of such officers.

A senior officer of the authority said after withdrawing current charge of grade 20 from some eight officers, it has been decided that their cases would be referred to the Cabinet Division. “In the case of CDA, Cabinet Division is the appropriate authority to assign additional or current charge of basic scale 20 to some officer of grade 19,” he stated.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2013.