KARACHI: Issuing notice to Malir Development Authority (MDA) director general on contempt of court application, the Supreme Court on Saturday directed him to release salaries of 98 employees, which are outstanding for last 19 months, by Monday.
A two-judge bench of the apex court comprising Justices Gulzar Ahmed and Maqbool Baqar was hearing the petition of former Karachi Development Authority (KDA) employees who were transferred to Malir Development Authority (MDA) but were not paid their outstanding dues.
In Saturday’s hearing, the court expressed extreme displeasure when it learnt that employees were not paid their pending salaries despite its directives.
The court asked the advocate general Barrister Zameer Ghumro a reason for not releasing the employees’ salaries on which he assured the judges that the dues will be released by Monday.
The bench also issued notice to MDA head on contempt of court application as he did not appear before it despite the summoning order. He was directed to explain as to why the contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against him for flaying its directives.
Earlier, the petitioners informed the judges that the KDA had transferred two land schemes to the MDA along with 98 KDA employees, who also included officers. They said that they were asked by the MDA to re-join the KDA their parent department but the KDA was not willing to repatriate them.
They had submitted that they were living below the subsistence level because they had not been given their salaries for the past 17 months. They also complained that their children were expelled from educational institution because of non payment fees.
The petitioners said several officers and others employees of the KDA and the MDA were still posted in different departments of the city government on deputation.