KARACHI: As the financial crisis worsens in the Karachi Development Authority (KDA), several employees are using other illegal sources of revenue under the behest of higher officials.
Director-General and Secretary KDA have not taken any action against the illegal employees in Gulistan-e-Jauhar who have allowed encroachment in the area and receive millions in extortions.
Illegal encroachments have been rising in Gulistan-e-Jauhar under the patronage of Executive Engineer (XEN) Muhammad Sami alias Raju Shikari. A bogus employee at the KDA headquarters in Civic Centre is seen in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Division working under the leadership of Mustafa Chand and posing as Anti-Encroachment in-charge.
These three officers have set up illegal encroachments at a road near KDA Apartments (Lal Flats) in Scheme 36 of Gulistan-e-Jauhar. Every stall and kiosk vendor pays Rs. 5000 per month which leads to a collection of Rs300,000 monthly from a single street.
Sources informed that Rs500,000 to Rs700,000 are collected as monthly extortion, while Chief Engineer KDA Mubeen Siddiqui as well as Security Department and Director Land Department receive the illegal payments.
Another source of illegal revenue generation is road cutting for which Mustafa Chand enjoys the support of XEN Mubeen Siddiqui. They also allegedly collect millions in illegal payments for not issuing any fine or lower amounts for building materials.
The KDA has been facing a financial crisis since several years which has cut off all sources of revenue generation. This has also hampered the provision of salaries and pensions, while employees are compelled to find alternate sources of income.
Higher officials have failed to take any action against the illegal streams of income. It is surprising to note that the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) or the Ministry of Local Government have also not taken notice of the illegal activities.
