May 14, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 8, 1429

RAWALPINDI, May 13: Another axe of Punjab government is likely to fall on thousands of contractual employees hired during the previous government, as the authorities have sought details of such employees from all government and autonomous institutions.

Official sources told Dawn on Tuesday that the provincial government was all set to fire contractual employees on the pattern of Sindh government, adding 60 per cent record of the contractual employees had been sent to Lahore while lists of the remaining staff in Rawalpindi and Multan division would be provided to the authorities soon.

Heads of various civic agencies including Rawalpindi Development Authority, Water and Sanitation Agency and town municipal administrations were preparing data of contractual employees.

In RDA and Wasa alone, the number of contract employees is above 400 while a total of 600 contractual employees are currently working in seven towns of Rawalpindi who would be fired, according to a top officer placed in Lahore.

Managing-director Wasa Islamul Haq and heads of other institutions confirmed to Dawn on Tuesday that the Punjab government had sought details of the employees appointed on contractual basis by the former government.

It may be mentioned that the provincial government fired all the retired officers reappointed in civil institutions a month back. However, sources said majority of the re-employed officers were still working in various institutions due to their connections with some provincial ministers.

Interestingly, while there is still a ban on appointments across the province and the civic agencies are in a dire need of staff, the Punjab government is hell-bent on sending home all contractual employees which would further aggravate the performance of the autonomous bodies supposed to provide services to the people on a daily basis.