RAWALPINDI - Demand of kickbacks has become an order of the day in District Accounts Office (DAO), Rawalpindi, as babus force teachers and other officials to pay them 8 per cent to get their pay cheques or other arrears.
The rampant corruption in DAO has not only exposed the good governance of Punjab government but has also made it very difficult for employees including teachers, health department officials and many others serving in various institutions to get clear their pending bills or arrears as they have to pay hefty bribe.
A total of 8 per cent against the total amount is being charged as bribe from the officials for the issuance of all kinds of cheques i.e. pay or other arrears by the clerks and officials of computer section in DAO, reliable sources revealed to TheNation here on Monday.
Following the footsteps of their colleagues, the clerks also charge Rs 100 for a single token issued to the government employees for submitting their files, the sources added.
According to sources, a large number of female teachers, who have been inducted in educational institutions of Rawalpindi after transfers from other districts such as Jhang, Sialkot and Kasoor three months back, are still working without salaries as baboos in DAO are demanding kickbacks from them before issuing cheques.
Interestingly, a female teacher, who belonged to Jhang and is teaching in a girls school in Rawalpindi, has been running from post to pillar to acquire her three months salary Rs 50,000 despite paying Rs 4000 as sweetener to babus in DAO, disclosed sources.
However, the babus in Computer Section have misplaced her file upon contacting media, said the sources.
When contacted, the victim teacher, told TheNation on condition of anonymity, that she paid Rs 4000, which is almost 8 per cent of her three months salary and other arrears, to the officials of DAO Computer Section but they made unprecedented delay in release of her cheque.
She alleged that the officials of DAO Computer Section misplaced her file in a bid to teach her a lesson when she threatened them to leak the issue to media. She appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif to take notice of plundering exercise being run in DAO and provide the victims justice.
District Officer Account (DOA) Mazhar Langrial’s mobile phone was switched off when he was contacted for his comments on the issue.
District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saqib Zafar, when phoned, said that all the matters are running in a good way in DAO as he never received even a single complaint of corruption.
He said that though DAO is not under his control, however, he would take action against the corrupt officials if the victim teachers lodged a complaint with his office.
The babus force teachers and other officials to pay them 8 per cent to get their pay cheques or other arrears, exposing exposed the good government and adding to the public woes.
JI to stage sit-in: Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mian Aslam on Monday said that PPP-led government had badly damaged democratic setup in the country and JI would stage a sit-in on bad governance issue.
“The incumbent government had made mockery of Supreme Court’s decisions, All Parties Conference (APC’s) resolutions and now they are talking about strengthening democracy,” Aslam said.
PM Gilani should take action against fast increasing corruption in the country, as nepotism and corruption have damaged the national institutions, he said.