HYDERABAD: Administrative problems in the Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA) and its subsidiary, the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), have exacerbated to such an extent that it has drastically affected performance of the two civic bodies, making residents of the city the ultimate sufferers.

HDA’s director general Mohammad Sohail Khan and Wasa’s managing director Zahid Khemtio, who are at odds with each other, run the entities in an autocratic manner, taking actions at their whims and being answerable to none for their wrongdoings.

The authority’s heads have been posted in complete violation of the orders of Supreme Court and Sindh High Court against appointment of non-cadre officers. The outgoing DG, Ghulam Mohammad Kaimkhani, was allowed to hold ‘look-after’ charge of the HDA despite being a non-cadre officer, followed by another non-cadre officer, Mohammad Sohail Khan, who has been managing the affairs as DG since September 2021.

Hyderabad commissioner recently pointed out to the chaotic state of affairs at the two bodies in his letter to Sindh Local Government secretary, complaining against the heads of the agencies.

In addition, this reporter has seen a damning note sent by a Sindh government officer to his senior officer, which dilated on mismanagement, financial indiscipline, corruption and other anomalies in HDA and Wasa.

But despite having knowledge of the situation, the Sindh government looks the other way as new posts were created by the DG by the stroke of his pen without defining service structures and giving charge to officers on the basis of ‘own pay scale’ in sheer violation of SC and SHC verdicts. As a direct consequence of this chaos, Hyderabad has been left to stink in its own juices.

The HDA’s governing body has not met lately as the body’s influential members like MPA Jabbar Khan and chief minister’s special assistant on Hyderabad affairs prefer to turn a blind eye to the authority’s affairs, leaving the DG to take decisions liberally and without fear of being questioned by the GB and Sindh government.

The DG has created, upgraded, bifurcated and amalgamated different posts at his own sweet will without feeling any need to explain rationale of his actions while longstanding issues like execution of decade old Gulistan-i-Sarmast housing scheme remain unresolved.

There used to be one post of director of Planning & Development Control (P&DC), which was bifurcated into director of P&DC and director of land management. The latter was filled by Rizwan Ahmed, said to be a trusted lieutenant of the DG. Mohammad Waseem, another confidante of the DG, was posted as deputy director of audit and accounts in Wasa, said sources.

“Let the Sindh government explain why I, despite being a non-cadre officer, has been posted to a cadre post,” said the DG on phone when asked to explain legality of his decisions.

He said that he had created the posts ’temporarily’ to bring HDA, being a large entity, at par with MDA and KDA. Final approval of his decisions would be obtained from Sindh government. “The rest house’s rent is around Rs200,000. HDA is initiating action to get its properties vacated,” he said.

The DG has centralised accounts of HDA, a step that brought him into conflict with MD of Wasa who also wanted ‘financial autonomy’. The MD receives funds through DG for which note sheets were prepared to claim expenditures under certain heads and make payment to contractors.

“In fact, we need a forensic audit [in HDA and Wasa] of accounts to know how expenditures of millions of rupees are being made,” said a source in the Sindh government.

The DG lives in Karachi and does not visit the city regularly. He did not attend a recent meeting chaired by the commissioner, while Wasa employees were protesting almost daily for payment of salaries and pension.

A summary for Rs744.595m for payment of salaries and pensions of December 2020 to August 2021 was still pending approval of Sindh chief minister and liabilities for September 2021 to March 2020 are accumulating.

As employees’ liabilities were accumulating and they were warning to choke the city’s sewerage and drainage system, the DG found it necessary to rent a bungalow (53/8-1) in Civil Lines, a posh locality, though the authority owned two bungalows in Latifabad, one given to B-Section police station and the other to a retired HDA DG Tahir Ahmed.

In addition to this, the DG has appointed different people for Rs50,000 fixed salary on contract, including son of an HDA officer. The DG has taken action against some officials, including one Khalid Noor for exposing anomalies in HDA and advocating issues of Wasa employees, according to sources.

The Wasa MD doesn’t lag behind in making unnecessary expenditures. He has hired five men, including his niece on a fixed salary of Rs50,000 per month. “My niece is an engineer with good knowledge,” the MD confirmed.

He uses a rented SUV for Rs150,000 a month which, he said, was obtained by outgoing DG Kaimkhani. He also uses a vehicle of taxation recovery section.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2022