Tussle at CADD: Minister censures secretary for ‘authoritative attitude’

Holds him responsible for failing to handle daily wagers’ salaries issue

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Minister of State, Usman Ibrahim on Thursday arraigned bureaucracy in general, and the division’s secretary, in particular for ‘mishandling’ of the issue of non-payment of salaries to the daily wagers in the educational institutes.

The minister said that he had made many people his opponents in the bureaucracy because he stood for quicker action and austerity measures but people in the attached departments often created obstacles.

Speaking to media after attending the oath-taking ceremony of the Central Academic Staff Association of Model Colleges’ office-bearers at the Islamabad Model College for Boys G-10/4, he was critical of the CADD secretary.

As per the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), there are 422 educational institutes in the capital that employ over 1,800 daily wagers.

The issue of non-payment of salaries to these staffers has been lingering on for the past eight months.

The FDE in a letter on October 26 directed all the area education officers to not engage daily wagers any further as no funds will be released in this regard, igniting the issue of non-payment of salaries.

“The secretary should have demanded funds for salaries of these staffers but he did not,” Ibrahim said.

The state minister has blamed “non-cooperative” and “authoritative” attitude of the secretary for the lack of resolution of the issue.

“The summary for Rs140 million against the salaries of these employees is still pending in the division,” he said, while blaming the bureaucracy.

Similarly, Ibrahim said, the secretary should have asked the finance division for supplementary grant as it was not possible for teachers to work without salary for eight months.

The secretary, Khalid Hanif, when contacted, categorically denied the minister’s allegations.

He said that the summary was forwarded to the finance division, and they returned it asking about specific number of staff that needed to be paid the salaries.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2015.