KARACHI, Dec 16: Town building control officers in the city have been issued show-cause notices by the respective town municipal administrations against their failure to sit in their offices in the 18 towns.

The TBCOs are presently performing their duties at the head offices of the Karachi Building Control Authority while under the Sindh government notification, they are supposed to perform their duties at the TMAs concerned.

Now they have been asked to occupy offices at the town municipal administrations concerned within seven days or else it would amount to violation of the Sindh government notification whereby the building control department had already been devolved into the city government.

The show-cause notices had been issued to the TBCOs in the light of the city Nazim’s directives whereby the TMAs were instructed to make publicity concerning submission of building plans in town offices concerned or any other place decided by them, besides providing office accommodation to the building control staff at the TMA concerned.

The city Nazim, Niamatullah Khan, through a letter sent to the DCO, Mir Hussain Ali, on Dec 2, had requested the latter to direct the town building staff to immediately report to the town administrations concerned.

Expressing dismay on the issue the town Nazims had complained that the TBCOs have not yet complied with the Sindh government’s notification whereby building control staff was posted to different towns and the CDGK. On this the Nazim had emphasised the that the notification be implemented, in letter, and in spirit.

According to Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town’s Nazim, Abdul Wahab, almost all the Nazims of the 18 towns have asked the building control officers to immediately report to them and start working in the offices allotted to them in the TMAs concerned by issuing show-cause notices to the TBCOs.

Expressing resentment over the inordinate delays being made in transfers, the officials concerned of both the KBCA and the KWSB to the TMAs level, Mr Wahab reiterated that not only KBCA and the KWSB, but even the Sindh Kachchi Abadi Authority had become part of the CDGK after the promulgation of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance-2001.

Liaquatabad’s Nazim Dr Pervaiz Mehmood said that he had even asked the TBCO concerned and his staff that if they did not report to the Liaquatabad Town immediately, the town administration will have no choice but to stop his salary.

The city Nazim had recently suggested to the City Nazim to direct town building control staff to immediately report to the Town Nazim concerned and in case of non-compliance of the orders, alternative arrangements for posting of TBCOs and other staff would be made and initially town officers (infrastructure) could be assigned the task of TBCOs.

Besides, the “Staff posted in nucleus office should be directed to disburse salary only on receipt of a certificate from the Town Nazims/EDO (Works and Services) regarding performance of the duty, the Nazim had stated, adding that no assistance from any department of the CDGK be provided to the building control staff in case they worked against the directions given in the notification of government of Sindh.

Asked what measures could be taken further if the officials of both the KBCA and KWSB, who despite their postings at TMAs, did not report to the Town Nazim concerned, the Gulshan Town Nazim said that the matter will be taken up with the President Musharraf by the city as well as Town nazims.