KARACHI, Nov 25: Despite clear directives from the Sindh chief secretary, more than 60 appointments have been made in the Sindh Environment and Alternate Energy department during the last few days of the previous government, it is learnt.
According to sources, the last few days of the previous regime saw high activity in the otherwise sleepy department, located at Chamra Chowrangi in Korangi and the staff was made to stay in the office for long hours so as to complete the recruitment process before the government completed its tenure and stood dissolved.
They also revealed that on the last working day of the government a Tharparkar-based senator, who was said to be close to the former chief minister, also visited the department during the night to finalise the appointments to various permanent (departmental) as well as project (tenure) posts.
The sources said that most of the positions were permanent and belonged to the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) and the Directorate of Alternative Energy etc while the rest of the posts came under the projects – Vehicular Emission Control Programme, Arsenic Contamination of Ground Water in Sindh, etc – and ranged from BPS-1 to BPS-19.
The orders were signed by the Deputy Director (Administration), Abida Memon, and Deputy Secretary Pir Bux Junejo, who keeping in view the orders of the chief secretary, initially tried to at least slow down the process but when he was reportedly “requested properly” Mr Junejo, who is retiring in a few months, gave in and followed the orders.
Sources in the department said that most of the candidates appointed during this hasty recruitment drive did not posses the required qualifications for their jobs.
A favourite person had been appointed on a lucrative package in the BPS-19 as project director and as per the tailor-made rules of the recruitment at the completion of the three-year project; the official would be absorbed and regularised in the government service.
Sepa director
It was further revealed that during the same time period efforts were also made to get the non-technical director, Kiran Nauman, absorbed in the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) but the plan failed to materialise reportedly due to the reluctance of the former chief secretary, Aijaz Qureshi.Ms Nauman, a former schoolteacher who was appointed in the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) during a ban on recruitments, is on deputation in the Sepa.
The former chief secretary, Aijaz Qureshi, in at least two letters written within three days, had directed the secretaries to strictly follow the rules. A letter on the subject “Recruitment of Staff”, dated Nov 14, reads:
“In the recent recruitment drive all administrative departments, secretaries, principal accounting officers must ensure that positions are filled through prescribed procedure by the competent authorities. Care may be taken regarding posts falling in the purview of the Sindh Public Service Commission, so that no deviation or bypassing the competent forum is allowed. In all cases the selection mechanism should be transparent and credible. In cases of violation, not only the administrative secretaries would be held responsible, it can lead to undue controversy and litigation.”
Another letter on the subject “Revision of illegal orders”, dated Nov 16, reads:
“In certain cases competent authority passes orders which involve clear departure from rules and laws. In many cases rights of many employees and officers are adversely affected while in other cases damage to the institution or the infrastructure is inevitable. In these cases SGA&CD invariable resubmit the cases for review of such orders by the competent authorities. Kindly make sure in all such cases approved in the summary, that administrative department must bring out serious implications for the rights of employees, infra structure or the institution …. It is obligatory for the principal accounting officers to re-submit such cases to me for reconsideration by the competent authority.”
However, according to sources, the Sepa officials acting against the chief secretary’s orders had manipulated the record and were maintaining that the recruitment process had been going on for a long time and everything had been done according to the rules and regulations.
Workplace harassment
At least two federal government officials of the Environmental Education Roaming Teachers Project (EERTP) deputed in the Sepa have lodged complaints with the federal environment ministry regarding the humiliating attitude of, and misusing of their vehicles by, the Sepa top officials and have requested for their transfers.
The two officials, Rizwana Kausar and Iffat Sultana, have accused Sepa Director-General, A. Malik Ghauri, and Sepa Director Kiran Nauman of using harsh language and misuse of their vehicles.
