Bureaucracy: New DCO takes over

Sindh government appoints IT Secretary Muhammad Hussein as new Karachi district coodination officer.

KARACHI: The Sindh government has appointed Information Technology Secretary Muhammad Hussein as the new Karachi district coodination officer. Hussein is replacing Fazlur Rehman, who will no longer be the DCO but will continue to serve the city as administrator.

A notification, dated December 31, 2010, has been issued and the new DCO would take charge from today (Saturday). While talking to The Express Tribune, new DCO Muhammad Hussein said that the Sindh Services General Administration secretary has issued the notification, which has been promulgated through the Sindh chief secretary. However, the DCO’s secretariat at Civic Centre and the DCO camp office has yet to receive a copy of the notification. Hussein said that the notification was issued after 3 pm on Friday and because Friday is a half-working day, there were delays in distribution to the offices.

The City District Government Karachi (CDGK) municipal services department EDO, Masood Alam, who had been working with Administrator Fazlur Rehman, told The Express Tribune that he was still unaware of any such development except that he had also “heard about the change”. He said he would be able to comment on the matter after receiving a formal copy of the official notification.

District Officer Rasheed Jamal said the decision was taken because of Rehman’s illness. He said a city as vast as Karachi required two separate offices to look after its affairs and so the posts of city administrator and DCO have been separated.

CDGK spokesman Muhammad Bashir Khan Sadduzai said that there was no need for a further ordinance from the governor and the notification for the induction of the new DCO was enough.

Fazlur Rehman was made DCO through the promulgation of an ordinance by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, which was extended thrice. Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001 did not have any provision for the post of city administrator, hence the ordinance was promulgated. The ordinance planned to replace the post of city nazim by the DCO and the DCO was given the additional responsibility of the city administrator.

Muhammad Hussein has also served as Administrator District Municipal Corporation (DMC) Central and East, Deputy Commissioner East, EDO Revenue, CDGK, Hyderabad DCO, Director Octroi KMC, Cooperation Department Secretary, Health Department Secretary and IT Secretary.

Fazlur Rehman, who served the CDGK as DCO and caretaker in the past as well, was appointed city administrator at the end of February, 2010. He replaced the second nazim of Karachi, Syed Mustafa Kamal.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2011.