Dishonest practices: Corruption in Sindh govt departments exposed

Minister says around 284 inquiries initiated against government officials

KARACHI:

Sindh Minister for Inquiry and Inspection Haji Muzzaffar Ali Shujra on Tuesday levelled serious allegations of corruption against officials working under his own government.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Shujra said officials working at various provincial government departments, particularly finance, education and health, had developed a strong coordination to loot and plunder the public money.



Shujra – who is coordinator to Sindh chief minister’s inquiry and inspection team and has the status of a provincial minister – said the officials working in these departments had siphoned off funds by violating the rules.

Read: Haunting tales of corruption: Ghost hospital running in chief minister’s backyard

“An example of corruption is offered by some officials in the home department who disfigured an amount mentioned in a summary moved by chief minister and misappropriated 20 crore rupees,” he said.

He said Sindh chief minister had ordered not to build new police stations but home department amended his summary and ordered to establish more police stations, while renovating preexisting ones in various districts.

“Some time ago, the chief minister directed officials of home department not to build a police station except in Shikarpur district, but officials changed the order. We have started inquiry into the affair to find out as to who did this and on whose orders,” he said, adding that he had recorded the statement of three former home secretaries in this regard.

Shujra, who was flanked by officials of his department, said that chief minister has given him full authority and around 284 inquiries of various government departments and officials have been initiated by him.

Read: Anti-corruption: Karachi education director sent to jail

Talking about the illegal appointments in local government department, he said hundreds of jobs had been given against the rules.  “Around 1,500 employees were appointed in Tando Ghulam Hyder in a day. The local officials involved in it received hefty amount,” he said.

“Some 105 fake employees were also appointed in education department in Naushehro Feroz. Not only these people were appointed, but they were given huge amount in the name of outstanding dues,” he added.

Further exposing the corruption, the CM’s coordinator said officials of food department stocked government wheat in a private factory and then got a government loan, showing the wheat as their property.

He appealed to the ministers in Sindh government to play their role as watchdog in their departments, adding that some officials were attempting “to defame Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government with their nefarious designs”.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2015.