KDA ordered to pay outstanding dues to retired employees by Dec 31

The Sindh High Court on Tuesday ordered the director general of the Karachi Development Authority to pay the outstanding post-retired benefits to all retired employees by December 31.

The court warned that in the case of non-compliance, the salaries of top KDA employees shall be stopped or the KDA’s property and assets shall be attached and sold to settle the outstanding dues of the retired employees.

The high court’s division bench, headed by Justice Nadeem Akhtar, rejected the reply of the KDA director general and the director finance in the show-cause notice for non-compliance of the court order, saying the reply had no justification.

KDA Director General Asif Ikram said Rs130 million had been released by the KDA on the sale proceed of some of its properties and undertook that the full amount, which was put in separate bank accounts of the KDA in pursuance of the court order, would be disbursed to the widows of retired employees before the next date of hearing.

Ikram undertook that after the payment of post-retirement benefits to all widows, any remaining amount shall be disbursed on a pro rata basis for the payment of benefits to retired employees according to their date of retirement and that a priority shall be given to those who had retired earlier in time. He said a public notice shall be published in newspapers within seven days in this regard.

The court, however, turned down his request for grant of further time for compliance of the court order and observed that the request was unjustified given the hardships pleaded by the petitioners.

The court directed the KDA director general to settle all outstanding post-retirement benefits of the retired employees by December 31 and that 10 per cent of the claims should be settled by September 30. Ikram was ordered to appear before the court on October 7 and submit a compliance report.