ISLAMABAD: The interior ministry has imposed a ban on further deputation in the Capital Development Authority (CDA) – a most sought after organisation for government officers.

According to a notification issued by the ministry, there will be a ban on further deputation in Islamabad.

“It has been observed with great concerns that this ministry has been receiving multiple requests for posting of the officers/officials from different organisations/departments in CDA on deputation basis. This practice of stop-gap arrangements is not in favour of an expedient administration,” read the interior ministry’s letter issued on March 25.

“In view of the above, the competent authority has directed to impose ban on deputation in CDA, except those cases falling under the government wedlock policy,” it went on to say.

Large number of officers from other departments posted in civic agency under stop-gap arrangements

A large number of officers had joined the CDA during the last over two decades on deputation and many of them preferred certain directorates of CDA – land directorate, estate wing, enforcement wing and municipal administration. Mega corruption scams in these directorates took place when deputationists headed them.

Similarly, the CDA, being a rich organisation, also provided facilities to deputation officers, including chauffer-driven cars and other perks and privileges, that attracted government officers to it.

“Here in the CDA, a grade 18 officer of the federal government enjoys control of the complete directorate, has an official car and a large number of subordinate staff, whereas in the ministry, even a deputy secretary of grade 19 has no such facility. These are the reasons the CDA is the most sought after place for deputation officers,” an official said.

On the other hand, CDA officials Dawn spoke to said taking deputation officer in the civic body’s strength against vacant posts was not illegal. They said the problem was that the number of seats in the CDA, which were supposed to be filled through direct recruitment, had been lying vacant for long. The officials said to discourage the deputation officers, there was a need to fill these posts through a competitive process.

Currently, the directorates of land, estate, enforcement and municipal administration were being headed by deputation officers whereas several others were holding the position of directors general and deputy directors general in various departments of the CDA.

“Nowadays, we have around 20 officials on deputation. But they had joined the authority after following legal procedure against vacant posts,” another CDA official said.

The CDA is governed through a board which consists of a chairman and various members. Of the more than 120 members that have served in the CDA since the agency’s inception, hardly 20 were regular CDA employees. It is said that only one regular CDA officer, Shafi Sehwani, has ever become the chairman of the civic agency in all these years.

Officials said there was a need to make recruitments against posts that were supposed to be filled either through direct recruitment or deputation.

They said there was also a need to improve the capacity of CDA’s own officials to dispose of works in time. Some officials were known for their incompetency and to hide this, they used delaying tactics in resolving even trivial matters, they added.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2024