Quetta Metropolitan Corporation fires 1,400 ‘ghost’ employees

QUETTA: The Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC) has terminated the services of 1,400 “ghost” employees, who were on its payroll for the past many years.

QMC Administrator Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat while confirming the sackings on Saturday said the decision had been taken after an investigation found these daily wage earners to be ghost employees.

“These employees had become a huge burden on the corporation which has been facing a financial crisis for a long time,” he said.

Mr Shafqaat, who is also the Quetta division commissioner, stated that most of the dismissed employees belonged to sanitation, fire brigade and other departments.

He said these employees existed only on papers, adding that they were geting salaries without discharging duties in any section of the corporation.

About the fire brigade department, he said only those regularly performing their duties would be rehired.

“Additionally, the sanitation department will continue its work under a public-private partnership, with the private company being responsible for making appointments in the section,” he pointed out.

The administrator mentioned that any future recruitment needs would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and relevant officers of the corporation have been instructed not to release the salaries of any daily wage employee after August 16.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2024