KOHAT: The tehsil municipal administration (TMA), Kohat, has been rendered incapable of paying pension to its retired staff due to the burden of appointment of over 300 employees by the legislators during last two governments, sources said.

They said that the services of some of those employees have been made permanent, while TMA has rejected the regularisation of jobs of ‘ghost’ employees. They said that most of the 126 employees, who have been regarded as surplus, were appointed by the PTI-led government. However, most of the unnecessary staff, was employed during the previous Awami National Party-led government, they added.

When contacted, TMA Employees Association’s former president Mohammad Sohail told this correspondent by phone that due to the appointment of unnecessary staff during last five years the monthly salary of the employees had shot up to enormous R133 million from just Rs8 million. He said that inquiry was underway into majority of irregular appointments and promotions in TMA.

Soon after coming into power the PTI also received thousands of applications from young people for appointment and some of them were adjusted in TMA. Earlier, the local council board had decided to send such employees to surplus pool or remove them because they were taken on temporary basis on a fixed salary.

However, because of the lawmakers’ resistance the decision could not be implemented.

MPA Ziaullah Bangash had earlier told this correspondent that they had no other choice, but to adjust jobless people of his constituency in TMA. He got appointed such people on low grade posts in government departments and private organisations. 

Some of the employees in TMA have been appointed on permanent basis on the recommendations of advisor to the chief minister on archaeology and sports, Amjid Afridi.

PROJECTS REVIEWED: District development advisory committee chairman MPA Ziaullah Bangash has warned the consultant to restart work on the waste recycling plant or he will revoke the contract and re-tender the project.

Addressing a meeting of the nation building departments here on Wednesday, he asked the officials to expedite work on roads and other projects so that facilities should be made available to the people at the earliest. He asked the relevant authorities to start work on Kaghazai-Tanda Dam road and link canal road between Bannu and Rawalpindi roads, for which funds had already been released. He also announced R10 million grant for poets and writers of Kohat.

The meeting was attended by provincial law minister Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi, executive officer irrigation Swab Ali and officials of other relevant departments. Mr Qureshi also reviewed progress on projects launched and approved by him in KP-39 and directed officials to complete them in time.

Published in Dawn January 29th, 2015

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