Above the law: Language varsity officials misuse vehicles

Employees below BPS-20 grade are violating rules.

ISLAMABAD: A number of employees of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) are reportedly using official vehicles without proper entitlement. This was revealed by Director General (DG) NUML, Kamran Jahangir, in a letter addressed to the university’s rector on December 2.

The DG, in his letter, highlighted that a number of officers of grade BPS-18 and BPS- 19 are using official vehicles, when they are only entitled to pick and drop facility. To date, no action has been taken by the university administration to prevent this practice.

When contacted, NUML Spokesperson Muddasir said that these officers were given cars “by appointment”, even though they are in grades below BPS-20.

According to rules of the cabinet division, only officers of BPS-20 grade and above can use official vehicles and are authorized to use fuel up to a certain limit. The remaining employees are only allowed pick and drop facility.

The DG said that unauthorised use of vehicles is in violation of rules and the prime minister’s directives and sought support of the rector to discourage the practice.

The DG said that he wrote several complaints to the rector about these irregularities but “it is disappointing that no action has yet been taken by the administration so far”.

“Inaction has encouraged and supported my subordinates to humiliate and taunt me for non-implementation of rules, laws and directives of the federal government, including NUML Ordinance,” said Jahangir. He also requested the university’s rector in his letter to give policy directions for implementation of rules.

According to sources inside NUML, the employees unauthorised to use official vehicles include Additional Director Exams Muhammad Bashir (BPS-19), Additional Director Finance Muhammad Tufail (BPS-19), Additional Director Regional Services Chaudhry Ashraf (BPS-19), Additional Director Student Affairs Muhammad Taj (BPS-19), Registrar Sajjida Tahir (BPS-19), Senior Medical Officer Amna Salman (BPS-18), and Director Technical Service Lt Col Naveed Khan.

Sources said that these officials are also using official mobiles, even though they are provided landline phone numbers at the office and at their official residences by the university.

However, deans of all faculties above BPS-21 grade have neither been provided official vehicles nor mobile phone facility.

The sources added that regional directors of NUML in Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi are of BPS-19 grade and are also using official vehicles instead of the permitted pick and drop facility.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2010.