Junior officials’ posting on key posts creates issues in LDA

LAHORE: Posting of junior officials on higher grades and lucrative seats in Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has created a rift between the authority’s own officers and the officers on deputation, resulting in delay in official work as well as bringing a bad name to the organisation.

Recently LDA Director General Amna Imran posted Shakeel Bhatti, a section officer (Establishment) in PMS/BS-17, as director administration, a post of grade 19, which irked the senior lot of LDA’s own employees. Sources said several deputy directors of grade 18 working in LDA administration wing showed resentment and refused to work under the junior officer.

Sources said the DG transferred Shakeel Bhatti from the post of director administration to Director C&I but Bhatti didn’t assume the charge of the new post while Akbar Nakai, LDA’s own officer in BS-19 took charge of the post of director administration under the new order.

Following the new order, Shakeel Bhatti approached different forums, including the housing provincial secretary, to get back the seat of director administration and his application is under review at the secretary’s office.

Shakeel Bhatti also served in LDA as director administration during the tenure of LDA DG Nabeel Javed. But when Nabeel Javed went to Saaf Pani Company as CEO, he took Bhatti with him. Now, as the Saaf Pani Company was abolished, Bhatti rejoined the LDA. Sources said he was a defaulter of Rs2 million of Saaf Pani Company in terms of excessive salary.

When contacted, Shakeel Bhatti said he didn’t know why the LDA DG brought him back as director administration and why she immediately transferred him from the post? To a question about being defaulter of Saaf Pani Company, he said this was a matter between him and the state.

To another question, he said the housing secretary had passed orders in his favour and as soon as the LDA DG would sit in her office, he would meet her. On the other hand, several senior officers of LDA met the LDA DG and submitted a written application to her with a subject “representation against posting of officers of BS-17 transferred on deputation in LDA and working on the posts of BS-19 and acting as reporting officer and countersigning officer of LDA officers working in BS-18 and BS-17.”

The letter stated that a large number of officers of LDA were working as deputy director (BS-18) and assistant director (BS-17) in various cadres of LDA and majority of them were working on their substantive posts of BS-18 and BS-17, whereas, the officers of BS-17 transferred on deputation to LDA were working on the posts of BS-19 despite the availability of sufficient number of LDA officers in BS-18 and BS-19. It is contradictory to the government rules and clear violation of the deputation policy, it read.

It said that the officers of BS-17 on deputation were not only working on the posts of BS-19 but also enjoying the powers, perks and privileges of the posts of BS-19. Furthermore, the officers of BS-17 on deputation in LDA are also acting as the reporting and countersigning officers of the LDA officers who are either working on the same basic pay scale or higher basic pay scale, which is not only discrimination against LDA officers but also a clear deprivation of the basic and moral right of LDA officers, thus disturbing the whole service structure of LDA and becoming the cause of de-motivation for the LDA officers.

The LDA officers, in the letter, demanded the DG remove BS-17 officers working on BS-19 from their posts so that the officers of equal or senior pay scale might work with peace of mind without feeling any discrimination.

The letter was signed by over a dozen LDA senior officers.

When contacted, LDA Vice-Chairman Sheikh Muhammad Imran said that LDA was a self-sustaining corporate body like DHA and needed professional officers.

In response to a question about the deputation policy, he said the present government was reviewing the deputation policy and all those who joined LDA without a need or having an expertise would be removed.

“The present government is focusing on capacity building of LDA officers and structural changes are needed to improve the efficiency and working of the organisation”, he said and added that presently there was no budget for internal training and capacity building.

Answering another question about the passing of LDA budget, he said BOD meeting would be held in the next week to pass the budget.