LARKANA: The summary, sent by Noor Mohammad Leghari, Secretary, Local Government & Housing, Towing Planning Department, Government of Sindh, for disbursement of monthly salaries through existing online system instead of manual system is still pending approval by the Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, despite passage of two years.
This shows the elected representatives of the people do not want to resolve the issue on permanent basis for reasons best known to them. General elections are approaching fast and the unrest among the LG employees is also growing day by day.
In the summary which has already been approved and signed by the Minister for Local Government on the same date i-e 28th March 2016, the secretary has written that “the officers/officials posted in local councils across the province of Sindh are currently getting their salaries through manual system of payment after receipt of monthly grant in lieu of suspended OZT share. The delay in payment of salaries to the staff results in strikes by the employees on one hand and affects the overall service delivery on the other hand. These reports appear in print & electronic media frequently.”
The summary further added: “It would not be out of place to mention here that the Local Government Department has from time to time issued the instructions to the local councils to assign priority to the payment of salaries to the staff but unfortunately, this is not being done.” “The rational, it further added, to bring the disbursement of salary component through the Treasury/District Accounts Offices (DAOs) and subsequently the Accountant General is very much applicable and needs to be adopted in order to bring financial prudence, therefore, AG Sindh may be requested to make arrangements for payment of salaries through concerned Treasury/DAOs as is being done in case of other employees.”
“By introducing, the secretary wrote, the system of salaries through Treasury/DAOs, the chances of manipulation of new entries regarding illegal appointments and promotions at lower formations could be curbed ultimately and the size of schedule of establishment duly approved by the government will remain within the sanctioned limit. To establish good governance and to maintain financial discipline in the local councils it is requested to approve the proposal”, the summary concluded.
President, Shah Lateef Local Government Employees Union (SLLGEU) Mushtaque Ahmed Korejo, while talking to this correspondent said that LG department had become the ATM machine for the rulers who did not want to bring the employees in mainstream by making payment of their monthly salaries through online system.