RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has issued notices to nine suspended officials- eight building inspectors and a draftsman- and asked them to submit their replies before the inquiry officer.

The inquiry against an engineer who was also suspended will be started next week.

The RCB suspended the 10 officials for allowing unauthorised construction and due to corruption suspicions.

A senior official of the civic body told Dawn, a fresh survey of commercial buildings in the cantonment areas was conducted after the officials were suspended and 35 more illegal buildings were found.

He said action was earlier taken against the RCB employees over 10 unauthorised constructions and that the civic body has added the illegal buildings it has now found to the charge sheet. He said it is probable that more such buildings will be found in the coming few days and that the RCB may refer the case to Military Lands and Cantonments for action against the officials.

The officer said the RCB has started taking steps to eliminate corruption and asked the concerned officers to check the land record. He suggested the land record and other records be computerised in order to make it easier to detect corrupt practices.

RCB spokesperson Qaiser Mehmood told Dawn the inquiry against the eight building inspectors and draftsman has started and that Additional Cantonment Executive Officer Umer Masoon was appointed inquiry officer.

He said the charge sheets have been handed to the suspended officials and they have been directed to submit a written reply to the inquiry officer in 10 days after which the inquiry officer will check the records.

The inquiry report will be forwarded to the regional director of the Military Lands and Cantonments who will decide on punishments for the officials. The suspended officials will be provided with time for explaining their positions.

About the case of the suspended engineer of the building branch, he said an inquiry against a grade-17 officer is held by a senior official and that a request in this regard has been sent to the Military Lands and Cantonments director general who will appoint an official soon.

He said the process has been started and that departmental inquiries take some time depending on the availability of senior officers.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2017