KARACHI: Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani on Friday said employees belonging to the ministry who were coming late for work or found absent would no longer be spared as they would see their salaries slashed and habitual absentees could lose their jobs.

“I am visiting various departments on daily basis in the hours when employees should be in their workplaces. The salaries of those who are not found in their designated offices would be cut as well [and they] would be handed show-cause notices while services of the ones who remain absent on permanent basis would be terminated,” warned the minister while visiting offices of the Lyari Development Authority, the Karachi Develop­ment Authority and other allied departments of the LG ministry.

The minister expressed his astonishment on finding out that the director general of the LDA was holding nine posts.

“I have asked the authorities concerned to conduct an inquiry into the issue. He [the DG] was among the officials who were absent from their offices, thus, a show-cause notice should also be handed to him,” said Mr Ghani.

“Besides,” he added, “directives have been issued to slash one-day salary of the employees who were not found in their offices on Friday”.

He said those employees should consider his visit as a warning.

“The officers should also feel their responsibility. I’ll not give them more time.”

He asked the authorities concerned to install biometric systems in the KDA, LDA and other related departments and report to him in a week. Besides, two-week attendance reports of the two authorities should be sent to him in 24 hours.

The officials in the ministry said the minister arrived at the LDA headquarters at 8:56am and found a sizeable number of officials including the DG LDA absent.

“Just 14 out of around 250 employees were present in the office,” said a spokesperson for the ministry.

Seeing this, he added, the minister expressed his displeasure and ordered that one-day salary be slashed from the absent officials’ salaries in addition to issuance of show-cause notices to them.

He inquired from the authorities concerned as to why the DG LDA was holding nine posts; whether he had been given those posts or had acquired the same on his own.

Later, at 9:20am the minister reached the KDA headquarters at Civic Centre where he was informed that DG KDA Sami Siddiqui was on a visit vis-à-vis the Green Line Project. Mr Siddiqui reached his office as soon as he was asked to do so.

Later, the minister checked attendance of the KDA’s employees and visited its various offices.

He ordered the DG KDA to install biometric systems as soon as possible in the offices and a report be sent to his office.

Besides, he directed for slashing of one-day wage from the salaries of the absent officials and issuance of show-cause notices to them.

The minister also visited the command and control room established in the Civic Centre.

Later, he went to the offices of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board where he found its managing director and other officials present.

The provincial minister held a meeting with them where he made it clear that just distribution of water was on the top of his priorities. He asked them to complete the ongoing sewerage schemes on time.

He said KWSB officials must ensure that people’s complaints were addressed to their satisfaction.

During his meeting, a number of KWSB employees whose services had been terminated held a demonstration.

The minister invited their representatives and held a meeting with them. He said many of those cases were to be decided by the courts. Still, he added, the government would review those cases.

“I am a person whose services had been terminated by an institution. I can feel your pain,” said the minister.

He assured the protesters that no injustice would be allowed against them after which the demonstrators dispersed peacefully.

Later, Mr Ghani told reporters that his visits aimed at ensuring that employees reached their workplaces on time.

He said action would be taken against illegal construction in the city and action would also be taken against those officials who were found involved in such acts.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2018