Pensioners take HDA to court

HYDERABAD:

As retired top officials of the Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA) approached the Sindh High Court complaining about non-payment of pensions, the authority has been ordered to make public details of all its expenditure. The Hyderabad Circuit Bench comprising Justice Agha Faisal and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi on Thursday ordered HDA Director General Pervez Baloch to submit details of all payments made by the authority in the last six months.

He was also ordered to record the details of the entire pension funds invested by the HDA. The order was given in a petition filed by 29 pensioners and their families who pleaded with the court to order the HDA to release their pensions along with the arrears.

They informed the court that the payment of pensions had been stopped in September 2023. The court noted that during the hearing, the DG HDA did not dispute the claim of the applicants that they were entitled to pensions. Instead, he explained to the court that the delays in the release of pensions are caused by the authority facing financial constraints.

The petitioners, including Muhammad Younus Memon, Kafeel Ahmed, Masood Ahmed Jumani, Muhammad Iqbal Memon and other retired officers, complained that before completely stopping the payment of pensions, they had also faced delays of two to three months.

They maintained that they were concerned about the HDA Employees’ Pension Funds which the authority had invested in banks with the stated aim of welfare of pensioners. The banks included National Savings Centre, Soneri Bank, Allied Bank Limited and Muslim Commercial Bank.

They lamented that non-payment of pensions had made it difficult for them to meet their regular and medical expenses. The plaintiffs requested the court to direct the HDA to release their pensions forthwith, along with all arrears. They also pleaded that the HDA be debarred from investing and using the pensioners’ funds for any purpose other than the welfare of the pensioners and for the payment of their pensions.

During the hearing, advocate Irfan Ali Bughio filed the power of attorney on behalf of the DG, Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of HDA. The SHC adjourned the hearing till July 31.