HYDERABAD: A long tussle between two groups of employees in Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) has eventually led to retirement of senior officer in BS-19 from one group and demotion of 11 officials from the rival group.

But things won’t stop here and more heads are likely to be rolled in the HMC where questionable appointments/promotions and change of cadres are made pertaining to those employees who had political/union’s influence.

The HMC has been witnessing tussle between Qamaruddin Shaikh, HMC’s senior officer and Aqeel Ahmed Khanzada. Their personal grudges landed them in deep trouble now and this would lead to more trouble for employees of the HMC — appointed or promoted — in the recent past.

Qamar Shaikh and Aqeel Khanzada accused each other of wrongdoings. Khanzada blamed the former of securing job in the HMC on the basis of fabricated birth certificate of 1964 according to which he would retire in 2024. But as per the original date of birth certificate, he would retire on Nov 3, 2018. Such letter for his retirement has been issued by the Sindh local government department.

Khanzada along with another employee Raees Ahmed alias Raees Raja have been moving the Sindh High Court and approaching the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Shaikh’s birth certificate issue. They have succeeded.

Qamar Shaikh did not give up either and according to HMC sources, he got a complaint filed by Mohammad Akram Khan, urban rehabilitation inspector (URI) before the Supreme Court-mandated judicial commission on water and sanitation against 11 officials including Aqeel Khanzada and Raees Ahmed somewhere in May this year.

Hyderabad’s elected representatives have tried to bring about rapprochement between them but in vain. Meetings were held from time to time and event leaders from Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had intervened to ensure truce but to no avail. And now both the sides seemed to be ending up as losers.

Akram Khan in his plea drew judicial commission’s attention towards out of turn promotions in violation of SC’s reported verdicts in the HMC. Akram Khan has now retired.

Amir Hani Muslim, a former Supreme Court judge who is heading the said commission, had passed directives on his application and forwarded it to task force chairman, appointed by the Supreme Court along with judicial commission, requiring him to examine service profiles of officers.

The task force is headed by Sindh irrigation secretary Jamal Mustafa Syed. He tasked additional secretary (administration) irrigation, Ghulam Ali Brahmani as inquiry officer.

He submitted his report on July 2 to the commission which forwarded it to Sindh LG secretary Khalid Hyder Shah, who issued orders for repatriation and reversion of 11 officials to their original position.

In his report, he stated that “due to professional inefficiency in the HMC coupled with provision of insufficient and unreliable record by the HMC particularly in absence of minutes of DPC and seniority lists, concrete conclusions could not be drawn in each promotion of every officer”.

He observed that “there are violations of service rules and the orders of apex court in all 11 cases and that such violations can be unearthed in a number of other cases in case a thorough and exhaustive departmental inquiry is made”.

He proposed that promotions of these 11 officers may be withdrawn and recommended that LG department should place their cases before departmental promotion committee (DPC) for consideration of promotion.

The Sindh LG department issued letter on Sept 5 regarding these 11 officers as per minute of meetings dated Aug 29, 2018 held under the chairmanship of divisional commissioner Hyderabad.

It requires Hyderabad mayor and HMC commissioner to form DPC to consider their promotions on the basis of seniority-cum-fitness basis along with their batch mates as per recruitment rules of relevant posts after completion of codal formalities in one month as these officers have 25 years of service and are eligible for promotion ‘within their cadres’ on seniority basis.

Demoted officers are Zafar, office superintendent in BS-16; Rafiq Ahmed Rajput, personal secretary to HMC’s municipal commissioner in BS-17 and director health; Abdul Wahab Rajput, personal secretary to chief municipal officer in BS-17; Mukarram Khan legal adviser in BS-18; Altaf Baig, prosecuting officer in BS-17; Mohammad Younus Qureshi chief fire officer in BS-17; Aqeel Ahmed Khanzada assistant director in BS-17; Syed Arif Ali stenographer in BS-14; Raees Ahmed URI in BS-14; Salahuddin, assistant director in BS-16; Abdul Muqeem, office superintendent in BS-16.

Now, as per the Sept 5 letter issued in the wake of Brahmani’s committee report and Supreme Court’s orders passed in criminal original petition 89/2011 and civil review petition 193/2013 they have been respectively demoted to BS-5 (lari driver); BS-5 (junior clerk); BS-1 (naib qasid); BS-5 (typist); BS-5 (tapedar); BS-5 (octroi clerk); BS-6 (senior clerk), BS-1 (naib qasid), BS-1 (gardener), BS-5 (octroi clerk) and BS-6 (slaughtering compounder).

Earlier, on Aug 30, the Sindh LG department confirmed to the HMC and Hyderabad mayor that Qamaruddin Shaikh would retire on Nov 3, 2018 after confirmation of his date of birth.

Shaikh has questioned the letter before a civil court, insisting that his date of birth is 1964 and he is to retire in 2024 and not 2018.

Proceedings of a separate committee — headed by LG additional secretary — are to begin shortly and to be completed in one month.

Its findings would be submitted to the Sindh LG secretary. The committee would probe illegal, out of turn promotions, upgradation, change of cadres in violation of rules/policy in respect of officers/officials of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation including one Mohammad Akram Khan, urban rehabilitation inspector (URI).

“Qamar Shaikh is reported to have shared some record with the NAB as well regarding 1,100 appointments which were facilitated by the HMC and CBA union bosses as well.

“So, a Pandora Box’s is going to be opened in the HMC, currently led by a weak MQM-backed mayor,” said a source.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2018