KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation administrator has suspended two top land department officials for illegally leasing out government land and cancelled the illegal leases, it emerged on Thursday.

Sources said Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Siddiqui, who also holds the additional charge of KMC administrator, suspended KMC land director Mohammad Waseem Shaikh and deputy director for Bin Qasim (lease) Aslam Shaikh.

Responding to Dawn queries, the KMC spokesperson said the KMC’s senior director of veterinary services had complained to the administrator that the land department in connivance with the area mukhtiarkar had illegally leased out 14 plots in Ibrahim Haidery.

He said the administrator immediately suspended both officials and directed the human resource department to issue show-cause notices to them and initiate legal action against them under the Removal from Service Ordinance. The spokesperson said Mr Siddiqui also ordered immediate cancellation of the illegal leases and said that stern action would be taken against the employees who were found to be involved in illegal activities.

Meanwhile, the administrator posted engineer Noor-ul-Haq as his technical adviser to monitor the ongoing work on the KMC development projects.

He also directed KMC director general (technical services) Niaz Soomro and Mr Haq to jointly examine and technically survey the Rashid Minhas (also called Drigh Road) flyover over Sharea Faisal which developed holes. The officials were asked to report why the holes often reappeared in the flyover and if it required repairs or reconstruction so that a decision could be taken accordingly to solve the issue permanently.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2015

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