LAHORE, Aug 16: Thirty-four officials of various departments of the City District Government of Lahore could not reach Jinnah Hall at 9:45am on Thursday when District Coordination Officer Mian Ijaz paid a surprise visit there.

None of the officials who were said to be on leave had obtained express permission for the purpose.

However, the DCO directed 32 officials to show cause within three days for their absence, and if the reply was not found satisfactory, departmental action would be taken against them.

The officials issued show-cause notices were: Personal Assistant to District Officer (Accounts) Shafqat Ali, junior clerks Pervaiz Iqbal and Tassadaq Husain, Accounts branch junior clerk Tariq Husain, Amjad Ali of Executive District Officer (Works and Services) branch, SE Badar Munir and Maqsood Ahmad, driver Sajid Rashid, DO (Roads) branch junior clerk Sohail Akram, junior clerk M Imran, assistant M Akram, PA Riaz Husain, junior clerks Fazal Elahi, Abdul Aziz and M Amjad, record keeper Ahsan Abbas, EDO (CD) personal secretary Nawaz Warraich, steno Nadeem Butt at the office of DO (revenue), junior clerk Naveeduz Zaman, tracers Asif Mahmood and Fakhar Islam, junior clerk M Yaqoob and Jamshed Akram of DO (social welfare) branch, steno M Tariq and Pervaiz Masih of DO (buildings) branch, inspector M Ayub, Zulfiqar Awan, Sajjad Warraich, Tariq Qureshi, Kamran Butt, Amir Munir and M Iqbal of food department. —Staff Reporter