KARACHI: A massive drive to purge more than 1,800 local government organisations across the province of “ghost and fake employees” was planned by the Sindh government as Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday banned transfers and postings and new recruitment in local representative bodies, including Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and town municipal corporations, across the province.

Informed sources told Dawn that hundreds of fake employees with fake appointment letters and transfer orders were working in different local councils for the past several years.

They said that most of the fake employees belonged to different districts of Hyderabad division and got posted in different districts, including Karachi, on fake transfer letters.

The sources said that the provincial government had decided to scrutinise each and every employee of the local government department after some cases of posting on fake transfer letters had been traced.

CM bans transfers, postings, new recruitment in local government organisations across province

They said that the provincial authorities were also seeking details from banks and information of employees who had opened their bank accounts in the last two years.

Meanwhile, a statement issued from Chief Minister House said that the chief minister had decided to impose a ban on transfer/postings of council employees and new hiring in local councils with immediate effect to enhance transparency, efficiency, and working of local councils.

The decision to this effect was taken at the meeting chaired by the chief minister and attended among others by Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, Planning & Development Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Additional Chief Secretary Local Government Khalid Hyder Shah, Finance Secretary Fayaz Jatoi and Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh.

The chief minister said that no employee of one local council could be transferred to another council and sought the details of the transfers/postings of local council employees during the last five years within 15 days.

“I would assess and inspect the number of employees who have been appointed properly,” he said.

Mr Shah also imposed a complete ban on new hiring in councils. “The local councils should outsource their basic municipal functions if they are short of staff,” he said.

The chief minister directed the local government minister to implement the SAP system for payment of salaries to local government employees in all union councils, town and municipal committees, district councils and municipal and metropolitan corporations.

“The local government department has developed a SAP system and I want you to implement it and stop the salaries being paid to ghost employees, if any,” he directed the local government minister.

The LG minister told the CM that there were 1,889 local government organisations, including one metropolitan corporation, four municipal corporations, 45 town municipal corporations, 22 district councils, 36 municipal committees, 142 Town Committees and 1,638 union councils/ committees.

Mr Shah directed the minister to protect the salaries of the employees so that they could be paid when they remain without posting.

The chief minister directed Minister Ghani to take drastic measures to improve efficiency, and effectiveness in local councils so that public problems relating to municipal issues could be resolved on their doorstep.

The chief minister also directed the LG minister to introduce reforms in the local government board and develop a transparent system for transfer/postings and promotions of local bodies employees.

Mr Shah said that during his meetings with local bodies representatives in divisional headquarters, a demand was raised for an increase in local bodies budget.

He directed Mr Ghani to submit proposals for a raise in the local bodies’ budget/grants so that the proposal could be included in the budget for the next financial year.

The chief minister also directed the local government minister to send him a proposal for the constitution of the Provincial Finance Commission.

Benazir Mazdoor Card

The chief minister directed the Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution (SESSI) to expedite the process of issuing Benazir Mazdoor Cards so that different packages and incentives apart from their regular facilities could be offered to labourers.

The CM was told that there were around 800,000 workers in the province.

The SESSI has signed an agreement with Nadra to issue 625,000 cards in the first phase of which Nadra has issued 150,000 and another tranche of 250,000 would be issued by the end of June.

The chief minister said that farmers would be issued Benazir Hari Cards benefiting from various government programmes to consolidate Hari’s information for transparent and efficient implementation of interventions.

While presiding over a meeting, he said that the farmers would be able to take benefit from various government schemes which would be announced from time to time through the card.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2024