Cash-starved KWSB losing hefty amount on account of unauthorised upgradations

A number of Divisional Accountants of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) are enjoying healthy salaries on the basis of unauthorised up-gradations, despite the ban imposed by Sindh government.
Sources told Business Recorder on Thursday that according to the schedule of Establishment of KWSB, the budgeted strength of Divisional Accountants/AAOs was 94 and the scale was still BPS-16 but all Divisional Accountants/AAOs were drawing salaries in BPS-17 and 18 as per up-gradation order, which was a great anomaly in Establishment Rules.
"This up-gradation has a great financial impact on cash-starved KWSB," they maintained. The sources said that during the City District Government system, an attempt was made to include KWSB in the CDGK's group of offices, which was a futile exercise in the presence of KWSB 1996 Act.
"In spite of the fact that no formal notification was issued, new posts were created arbitrarily and finally reflected in the Budget Book for the fiscal year 2005-2006, where in all posts were re-designated without any lawful authority," they said, adding that the implications of changing the name of the posts were reflected in the up-gradation of post at the later stage.
An official source inside the water utility told this correspondent that through an office order issued vide letter No KW&SB/DP/HRD&A/10/245 dated February 20, 2010, 76 posts of Divisional Accountants/AAOs (BS-16) were upgraded to DA (BS-17) without any lawful authority.
The source said that this unauthorised up-gradation of officers had put extra burden on the KWSB due to which the water utility was unable to perform efficiently. "Once the rectification process starts, KWSB will be able to improve its current financial situation," he added.
The sources urged that a high-level inquiry should be instituted into the aforesaid violations and the KWSB management be directed to rectify the anomaly immediately. "The Sindh Chief Secretary may also direct the concerned secretaries including the MD, KWSB, to review all such cases and fix the responsibility and then proceed in the respective matters in accordance with the provisions of the existing rules and regulations," they said.
When contacted, Director Human Resource Management (HRM) Shakeel Ahmed said that some 82 Divisional Accountants and others were enjoying up-gradations on provisional salaries fixations. "Since the Sindh government has imposed a ban on up-gradations, the water utility has written a letter to the provincial government either the officers be regularised or their promotions be declared null and void," he added. He said that if the government declared the up-gradations null and void, the KWSB would re-fix their salaries and withdraw all extra amount already paid to them.