MULTAN: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has asked the Multan Waste Management Company (MWMC) managing director to furnish a report in connection with illegal appointments.

The MWMC is among the 56 public sector companies in which the matter of corruption and mismanagement was taken up by the Supreme Court through a suo motu notice while Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has constituted a committee to decide the fate of these companies and will submit a report in court by Jan 17.

While sending the copy of the complaint to the company’s MD, Assistant Director Complaints, ACE Multan region, asked the officer concerned to submit report/comments over the matter till Jan 16.

Complainant Chaudhry Javed Iqbal alleged that the company not only made recruitments in violation of the ban imposed by the provincial government but also released salaries to them for December without getting the approval of their appointments, causing loss of millions to the national exchequer. He also attached the copies of issued salary slips with his application.

He requested that the appointments should be declared null and void and action taken against the authorities who issued illegal directions for recruitments.

The provincial cabinet in its meeting held on Sept 23 imposed a ban on all recruitments from BS-01 to 16 in the administrative departments. The hiring from BS-17 and above falls under the purview of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC).

On Oct 2, the Local Government and Community Development (LG&CD) department through a notification informed the heads of respective departments about the ban. A meeting to review the progress of waste management companies across the province was held on Dec 7 under the chairmanship of LG&CD Secretary Saif Anjum in which additional secretary development informed the meeting about vacancy position of core teams in companies. The meeting was informed that position of managing directors in six companies was vacant and other top positions of general managers, senior managers and managers had not been filled for long and additional charges had been entrusted to junior officials which is affecting the service delivery.

The companies were directed to move swiftly for filling the vacant positions.

Meanwhile, a notification was issued by the Services and General Administration Department (regulations wing) in which it was stated that the provincial government had imposed a ban on recruitments while it was stated that the standing committee of the cabinet on finance and development would take up the matter of relaxation on recruitment on a case to case basis.

Sources said the MWMC administration first violated the notification of Oct 2 on the pressure of a senior officer and issued an advertisement for recruitment on Nov 14 while requesting applications for various positions.

They said that due to the constant pressure of the officer concerned, the administration of the company continued the recruitment process even after the issuing of Punjab government’s notification of Dec 7 while the administrations of all other companies avoided initiating recruitment process in their respective companies.

They said that the rules were also defied by not following the manual of the company.

MD Malik Iqbal Farid said no violation had been committed in the recruitment process. He said the secretary local government directed the waste management companies to fill their vacant posts.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2019