ISLAMABAD, Aug 8: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to sack 23 officials of its services wing under the Removal from Service Ordinance-2000 within the next few days, informed sources in the CDA told Dawn on Friday.

The sources said those who would be sacked included two deputy directors, one divisional accountant and a number of sub-engineers.

They said the officials whose services would be terminated were allegedly involved in different malpractices. These illegalities had been detected by a four-member committee formed by the newly-appointed member engineering to probe into all such practices committed within the last five years.

The committee had reportedly found Rs182 million irregularities in the services wing, the sources added.

The sources said show-cause notices had been served on those who had been found involved in the irregularities.

They said the interior ministry had also been informed about the step being taken against defaulters as a summary in this regard had been sent to the ministry.

The CDA had published an advertisement in a national daily for fresh recruitments and the posts which would fall vacant after sacking of the 23 officials would be filled through fresh inductions, the sources added.

They said since the implementation of the Removal from Service Ordinance-2000, no CDA employee had been sacked and termination of these 23 employees’ services would be the first in the CDA under the ordinance.

Besides, a mass-scale reshuffling in the services wing was expected in the near future, under which almost all deputy directors in the wing would be transferred to other posts, an official of the authority said.

He said about 3,000 posts in the CDA had been abolished during the last three years and the sacking of the 23 officials would create more problems for the CDA administration.

There is also a proposal to induct army engineers in the CDA. However, the move has been opposed vehemently by those officials who have not been promoted for the last two decades.

Meanwhile, another source in the CDA told Dawn that besides taking action against its officials, the authority had decided to clear all the liabilities of Rs175 million to the contractors.

“These liabilities had been pending for last five years and now we have decided to clear them once and for all,” CDA’s acting director-general services Jahanzeb Khan said.

He said the contractors would be paid the entire amount of Rs175 million and if any irregularity was found, the concerned officials of the authority would face action.