SHC seeks details of appointments to KWSB, other departments since 2000

The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed a provincial law officer on Thursday to file para-wise comments and breakdowns of the appointments made to the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, the Karachi Development Authority, the Sindh Building Control Authority and the provincial assembly’s secretariat since 2000.

The directive came at a hearing of a petition of Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Afshan Mansoor, who sought an inquiry into the alleged corruption in the construction of the new building of the Sindh Assembly, the new building of the MPAs’ hostel and illegal appointments to the assembly’s secretariat.

In her plea, Mansoor submitted that the project of the assembly’s new building was approved in violation of all relevant rules, and the cost of the construction of the MPA hostel was increased from Rs2,700 million to Rs11,400 million. She further charged that half the payment, i.e. Rs6,720 million, had been made to the contractor tough 50 per cent of the project had not yet completed.

According to the petitioner, the finance department is allocating funds and the accountant general department is making payments to the contractors without any objections.

She said illegal appointments and out-of-turn promotions were made in the assembly’s secretariat in violation orders of the Supreme Court. The high court was requested to order an inquiry into the alleged corruption and malpractices.

The provincial law officer sought further time to file comments and furnish details sought by the high court. A division bench, headed by Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh, granted time and directed the provincial law officer to file comments on the petition and provide details about the breakdown of employees in the Karachi Development Authority, Malir Development Authority, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board and the assembly’s secretariat within four weeks.