KARACHI: It seems that almost every institution in Sindh is working on new skills to do financial corruption and the same is the case with Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Stevta).
The slogan of the authority is – Employment through Skills – however it has now changed or replaced with – Corruption through Skills as nobody seems serious to impart technical education to the youth of Sindh province, resulting in massive unemployment and poverty in the province.
The purpose of establishment of Stevta was to give skills training to youth so that they could live healthy live inside and outside the country however the authorities are busy in eating up the financial resources of the authority. The authority receives annual budget of around Rs 1.5 billion or so to run affairs of the authority smoothly.
The quarterly-based payment of funds from the Sindh’s finance department mostly causes delays in payment of salaries of the staff however the authorities are spending millions of rupees on the name of health insurance of the authority’s employees and their dependents.
In year 2019, the Stevta had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/s Jubilee Life Insurance Company, Karachi worth Rs 28,015,564 to provide healthcare facilities to its employees and dependents.
Yet again in 2022, the Stevta signed an agreement with M/s The United Insurance Company of Pakistan Limited at a cost of Rs 55,752,784 for a period of one year. The practice is going on for the last couple of years and authority’s officials are allegedly taking kickbacks from the companies, sources said.
According to official data, Stevta has a total of 1,885 strength of employees while 1,875 spouses, 4,039 children and 1,207 parents making it total of 9,00 beneficiaries.
Interestingly, sources disclosed that the majority of senior officials are claiming medical bills from the insurance companies as well as from the Sindh’s finance department on regular basis while the lower staff have been deprived of actual entitlement of the insurance policy.
KARACHI: The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), the only authority to keep vigil on the illegal construction and builder mafia, the authority has been working without full-fledged director administration and director finance for the past couple of weeks, it is learnt.
According to sources, the most competent and honest officer of the authority namely M Mushtaq Ibrahim Soomro was performing as Director Administration and Director Finance with utmost honesty however the powerful mafia within the authority used their influence and got him transferred from the authority’s headquarters.
SBCA Director General/Chief Executive Abdul Rasheed Solangi issued an order on August 7, 2024 transferring the most competent officer from the post.
“Mushtaq Ibrahim Soomro, Director (BS-19) Administration and Finance (SBCA) Headquarter is hereby transferred and posted as Regional Director (BS-19) Hyderabad Region (SBCA) vice Engr Syed Ali Mehdi Kazmi, Regional Director (BS-19) Hyderabad Region (SBCA), who has already been allowed to work as Additional Director General-BS-20 (SBCA) on his own pay & scale”, according to notification.
“M Mushtaq Ibrahim Soomro, Regional Director (BS-19) Hyderabad Region (SBCA) is also allowed to look after the charge of Regional Director (BS-19) Mirpurkhas Region (SBCA) in addition to his own duties, until further orders”, the notification adds.
Soon after the transfer of Mr Soomro, the posts of Director Administration and Director Finance remained vacant as no officers were posted on the vacant posts since August 7, 2024. “Now the deputy director is forwarding most important files directly to the Director General, sources disclosed.
KARACHI: It seems that every person in the Sindh’s Local Government Department has become powerful mafia as there is no proper check and balance on appointment, transfer and posting of employees in the most important department and the “Might is Right’ rule prevails there.
The same is the case with Town Municipal Corporation, Safoora, District East, where Mallah brothers have become mafia with the alleged political backing from the Chief Minister’s House.
According to insiders, Munawar Hussain Mallah, Town Municipal Commissioner, TMC Safoora, District East has badly hit the performance of the town administration led by the elected town chairman adding miseries to the lives of citizens.
Interestingly, Munawar Hussain Mallah, an officer of BPS-17/SCUG Service (Admin Branch), carries two fake service profiles that included his appointment on December 22, 1995. Later, he was promoted to BS-16 on October 27, 2011. He got another promotion to BS-17 in 2019.
Insiders disclosed that Munawar Mallah was initially appointed as UC Secretary in Karachi’s Quaidabad area and drew salaries as secretary union council for couple of years.
The seniority list, issued by the Local Government Department, Government of Sindh, in year 2010 did not include his name anywhere in the list. How come is it possible that Mr Mallah got promotion from BS-16 to BS-17 in 2016?
It is mentioned here that Munawar Mallah is brother of most corrupt official namely Maqsood Mallah who recently blackmailed his bosses as he was under severe disciplinary action for his massive financial corruption. He also put a major dent on the performance of most competent and honest Secretary Sindh Local Government Board Piyaar Ali Lakho. Presently, Maqsood Mallah is on stay from the Sindh High Court just to avoid any legal and departmental action from the department.
KARACHI: In blatant violation, Advisor to Chief Minister on Livestock and Fisheries Department Najmi Alam has appointed his front-man Agha Saeed as focal person of the Livestock and Fisheries Department of the Sindh Government, it is reliably learnt.
The Sindh’s livestock and fisheries department has always been a hot-cake where financial corruption of billions of rupees were corrupted and many investigations underway by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The world famous corruption made by Nisar Morai is still in the minds of the people and yet again the prominent ‘SYSTEM’ finally entered into the department in shape of installation of Najmi Alam as advisor. Under the rules, no outsider or private person can be installed as focal person, sources say.
Now, the project directors of foreign-funded multi-million projects engineers, development experts and all other official dealing with development schemes and budgets would directly report to Agha Saeed, the front-man of Najmi Alam.
Agha Saeed is a low-grade employee of the Sindh Local Government Department, who has brought into the Livestock and Fisheries Department by Najmi Alam. His appointment has shocked almost every officer of the department and a wave of unrest prevail among their ranks, sources added.