Mismanagement galore at KW&SB as Karachi bleeds

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The mismanagement at the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB) seems to have reached its peak as its managing director as well as his favoured officers were looking like engaged in maneuverings for meeting their vested interests rather than performing duties in usual manner. 

Recently the MD and the Officers Association duped the Board’s officers in the name of a so-called DPC with regard to their promotions and as a result all the officers were left with no other option but to be running after their own promotions instead of serving the people of Karachi who are clamoring about non-availability of water while the sewerage system has plunged into a total disarray with sewerage water flowing on many roads and streets. 

It is learnt from knowledgeable sources that many officials were visiting the residences of their retired superiors to have their ACRs written from them in their favour to help get a promotion. 

A false impression was communicated by the MD through a couple directives that DPC is going to be held and hence all the officials should get their ACRs and files completed. 

In order to get their favored officials promoted, by the look of things, the members of HR committee were given a wrong impression about court orders and government directives. The HR committee members, however, have strictly directed them to carry out the formal procedures and rules before holding the DPC as the only criteria for promotion was going to be ACR and seniority. 

The letter containing the directives showed that the procedure to examine the merit for seniority was still to be done and the question of issuing seniority list did not arise unless the reservations of affectees of previous promotions were removed, orders of Supreme Court with regard to PS, OTP and OCP are fully complied with and reversal of those getting illegal promotions to their original grades. 

In order to avoid the procedures, the MD has bargained with the so-called Officers Association and deceived the officers in the name of holding DPC and subsequently granting them promotions. 

Quite a few officers, who are junior in grades but functioning on the posts of Grade-20 as DMDs including two OPS DMDs Aijaz Kazmi and Saqib who are fully with MD alongwith Association’s President Nadeem Kirmani and Secretary Shoaib Tughlaq besides having support of two other DMDs Imran Zaidi and Nasim Khan. All of them enjoying were enjoying the perks and powers of Grade-20 while being in junior grades.