The employees of Fire Brigade department of Karachi Metropolitan (KMC) once again assured that new uniform will be provided to them in next couple of days. The staff of fire brigade department has been deprived of new uniform for last two to three years. Sources said although the staff of Fire Brigade Department of KMC has been assured several times of getting new uniforms but they failed to get the facility.
On Wednesday, Municipal Commissioner Karachi Matanat Ali Khan while chairing a meeting at his office assured that new uniforms would be given to fire brigade employees in next few days. The meeting was attended among others by Chief Fire Officer Ehtishamuddin, Director Health Services Shoukat Zaman and by Financial Advisor KMC Amir Khursheed. Municipal Commissioner said all complaints of fire brigade department will be redressed. Recently fire risk and overtime allowance was paid to fire brigade official which was their old demand. Now all necessary measures were taken for provision of uniform to fire brigade staff and they will get it in this week.
On the other hand, eight employees of Fire Brigade Department who had been recruited in the department in 1979 as firemen in Grade-5 are still working at the same designation and awaiting the promotions. Sources said Fire Brigade Department of KMC has emerged one of the largely politicised departments of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), as only blue-eyed employees continue to receive promotions.
They said that timely promotions had been announced for last thirty years but a total of eight employees of Fire Brigade Department who had been recruited in the department in 1979 as firemen in Grade-5 are still working at the same designation and awaiting the promotion.
Sources said that political influence in department is major factor which caused them to suffer over the years, adding that some officials working at the helm of affairs have also adopted discriminative attitude in entertaining them with their due rights. President Sajjan Union Zulfiqar Shah told Business Recorder said that such act of the department compelled promotion-awaiting employees to go in Labour Court in order to attain their legal rights.
He said the court had ruled in favour of fireman on 13 August 2009. However, the decision has still not been implemented as these employees are still in a state of hopelessness. "The court directed Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) to give promotion to them but employees are still not being promoted after the passage of two years time", Zulfiar Shah mentioned.
He said that these had moved application of Administrator KMC Mohammad Hussain Syed who forwarded the case to DPC but committee is still overlooking the matter using delaying tactics in solving the problem these oppressed employees. Sources said that case pending before the table of Chief Fire Brigade Officer (CFO), who is the ultimate authority to announce promotions of these employees.