BS-17 officials on two-scale up slots in LDA

LAHORE :Several junior officials are enjoying key posts in Lahore Development Authority (LDA) as the authority is ‘out-of-stock’ of senior officers to be posted on seats of higher management especially directors.

Sources in LDA revealed that the trend of posting junior officials on higher grade was started some years back and many officers in grade 17 of different departments were posted in LDA on deputation. Sources said as per rules and regulations, an officer can be posted on a one step higher level seat but in LDA many officers are performing duties on seats higher in two grades from their own grade.

Sources claimed that many of these officers are also drawing benefits and other perks of higher level seats such as vehicles, telephone, petrol allowance and etc, which puts an additional financial burden on the authority. Giving details, sources revealed that authority’s director administration, which is a very important post in LDA’s skeleton, is occupied by Shakeel Bhatti who is a grade 17 officer. Shakeel Bhatti is also enjoying the seat of Director Enforcement. Both the seats of Director Administration and Director Enforcement are for grade 19 officials.

One Window Cell is also an important directorate of LDA and usually termed as the face of LDA because it deals with the general public, complaints and other public issues. Fahad Anees, Director One Window is also a grade 17 officer but is working on a grade 19 post.

Kamran, Director Coordination (DG Cell), is also a grade 17 officer of LDA service while the newly-created post is for grade 19 officers. 

Director (DG HQ) Rana Shahzad is also a grade 17 officer and is working on the post of grade 19. Similarly Director Law Amer Hassan is also a grade 17 officer while the seat is of grade 19. Ayesha Mutahir, Azhar and Salman Mehfooz are three officials in Town Planning wing who are also posted one grade up.

Other than posting of grade 17 officers on grade 19 seats, there are many grade 18 officers who are performing duties on grade 19, sources said. However, a senior LDA officer seeking anonymity said that posting of grade 18 officer on grade 19 seat is not something illegal.

Director General LDA Zahid Zaman while talking with The News said that postings of all officials were made on merit in LDA and no violation of department rules has been made. Over a question that isn’t the posting of officers of grade 17 two grades up a violation of rules, DG LDA said he didn’t have enough and competent officers in grade 19 to be posted in grade 19.

He asked the scribe to give any example of posting of grade 17 officers in grade 19 and the scribe told him some names over which he said all these officers are competent
enough to be posted on higher grades. When the scribe tried to ask more questions, DG LDA refused to talk further.