RAWALPINDI: The Commissioner of Rawalpindi Division, Liaquat Ali Chatha, has pledged to take stern measures against non-technical building inspectors employed within the Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR).
In an exclusive interview with ‘The News’ on Sunday, Commissioner Chatha, who also holds the position of Administrator of MCR, confirmed that he has initiated an investigation to identify the number of non-technical personnel functioning as building inspectors.
He emphasized his commitment to ensuring accountability for such individuals, stating, “I will not tolerate the presence of non-technical building inspectors in the Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi.”
Residents of Rawalpindi have expressed their support for the commissioner’s efforts to eradicate corruption from government offices.
Several months ago, Dr. Muhammad Irshad, Secretary of Local Government and Community Development (LG & CD) had made assurances about removing non-technical building inspectors from MCR, but these promises remained unfulfilled.
Furthermore, the Lahore High Court (LHC) issued an order for the immediate removal of non-technical building inspectors from MCR, citing them as a direct threat to citizens.
An audit report underscored that the Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi lacks qualified building inspectors, resulting in the inadequate enforcement of regulations and bylaws.
By the rules of the local government service (appointment & conditions of services), a building inspector at the BS-14 level should hold a matriculation (1st division) qualification along with a Diploma of Associates Engineering (civil/architecture) from a Punjab Board of Technical Education-recognized institute or other accredited institutions.
However, the audit report disclosed that unqualified staff members were rotating in the role of building inspectors, despite the technical nature of the responsibilities associated with the position.
As per the Punjab Local Government Act (PLGA), inspectors are required to have a three-year Diploma of Associate Engineer (DAE), but it was observed that all deputed inspectors fell short of these qualifications, leading to the lax implementation of regulations and bylaws.
The individuals serving as building inspectors were primarily designated as clerks, but they were appointed to the inspector roles, often due to favorable relationships with political leaders or officers.
While these inspectors issue notices to owners of illegally constructed buildings to avoid departmental actions, they often fail to follow up on these notices.
Building bylaws dictate that commercial structures with a maximum height of 40 feet (one plus two stories) are permissible within the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi.
However, numerous commercial buildings exceeding 50 feet in height have sprung up in violation of these bylaws.
Despite citizen complaints and written appeals, MCR officials have allegedly neglected these violations.
The data obtained also revealed that 13 non-technical clerks have been serving as ‘building inspectors’ in the Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) for an extended period.
The list includes names and designations such as Muhammad Bilal clerk, Ghazanfar Ullah clerk, Shahbaz Satti clerk, Muhammad Fiaz clerk, Raja Ejaz Raza clerk, Abdul Ghafoor clerk, Muhammad Safdar clerk, Ansar Safir clerk, Zahid Abbas clerk, Basit Azam clerk, Raja Haroon Rasheed clerk, Iftikhar Ahmed clerk, and Raja Iftikhar Ahmed, an account clerk.
Despite their prolonged tenure, no action has been taken against these employees in their capacity as ‘building inspectors.’
Source: The News
