KHANEWAL - A mega scandal of ghost ‘political’ recruitments in the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) Khanewal have been unearthed, causing a loss of millions of rupees to the public exchequer and exposing the gravity of the rampant corruption at local level.
According to sources, as many as 200 ‘ghost’ sanitary workers including Muslims were recruited in the TMA whose salaries are being drawn allegedly by ‘influential’ persons belong to PML-Q with the connivance of TMA officials. It has been learnt that most of the sanitary workers have been performing duties at the residences of officers and {influential} persons of the area.
Meanwhile, the sources also pinpointed the presence of a ‘gang’ of clerks and other office-bearers in the map approval branch of TMA Planning and Development Department. They said that these officials who had become an “organised band” who had been deputed in the branch for the last many years in sheer violation of the rules and regulation. “They have been involved in the embezzlement of funds in the name of map approval fees,” they argued.
The sources also named some of the officials like Rana Muhammad Rafique, Zafar Gujjar, Sarfraz Jugnu and Ejaz Pahore, saying that they had been looting the innocent public with apparent ‘impunity.’ They said that these officials had been working in the department since long despite several complaints and charges which had even been established against them. As a result, hundreds of trade centres, shopping plazas and residences were constructed with the help of TMA staff on fake approvals.  The sources alleged that ADC/Administrator Asif Ali Farrukh and TMO Khizar Hayat Khaki were patronising the “mafia” responsible for the losses of millions of rupees to the public exchequer.
When this scribe tried to contact Administrator Asif Ali Farrukh was not available for comment. However, TMO Khizar Khaki denied all such charges and told that he would personally monitor the whole matter and those involved in any corruption or malpractice would be dealt with sternly.
The local political, social and religious circles have demanded the Punjab Chief Minister, the Provincial Local Government Secretary, the Anti-Corruption Director General, Multan Commissioner and the Khanewal DCO to take notice of the situation. They also demanded stringent against the corrupt officials and a thorough probe into the allegations.