www.chitraltimes.com

GADO holds its AGM

Garam Chasma Area Development Organization (GADO) held its second Annual General Meeting (AGM) since its inception in 1997 and registration under Company’s Ordinance in 2007. Veteran rural development activist and retired Government school teacher Muhammad Siddiq presided, while this scribe was made Chief Guest. Muhammad Wali, a serving Government school PTC teacher, who is also Chairman GADO, conducted the proceedings. Many Government school teachers , including the Chairman GADO who had twice filed affidavits with the District Assembly and EDO office that they would not indulge in politics and NGO business in deference to their service rules and Civil Servants Act 1973, had apparently backtracked from their oath and were occupying the stage. A functionary of EDO office, commenting on the situation expressed surprise as to how a Muslim could do so and added that the department will now look for other measures, including stoppage of pay to these teachers to establish rule of law. It is ironic that how violators of law and rules can develop students holistically if they themselves were not developed.

Chairman GADO presented the organization’s annual report and financial statement; the former elicited some interest among delegates who accused Board members of favouritism in allocating funds, while the latter report went un-noticed because the delegates were not adept in accounting matters. Insiders had hinted at some grey areas pointed out in the audit report. When the Chief Guest advised the VO representatives to send literate people to such meetings, one Director, himself illiterate but representing his Cluster since the establishment of GADO tried to target the Chief Guest accusing him of trying to deprive the area of Rs.1 million CIADP ( a Norwegian funded project of the influential Thrive Company which successfully resisted initial local opposition to its development strategy and has since shifted itself from the supervisory control of DCO to that of Planning and Development Department) funds for a protective wall. In response the Chief Guest informed the audience that he had opposed the design and insufficient outlay, which has been borne out by subsequent events. The Government has withdrawn Rs.20 million allocations for the same project saying that CIADP was doing the job and these funds can be spent elsewhere. The meager CIADP funds were perhaps preferred because GADO directors themselves were authorized to spend them while Government funds were to be spent through contractors under the supervision of the Irrigation department.

The meeting was confronted with fait accompli in the election of directors to replace the retiring ones. They had already been got elected through resolutions drafted in drawing rooms in violation of the law, which had authorized the AGM to do so in its annual meeting. In some of these resolutions signatures had been fabricated and at least in one case the process was deferred. Surprisingly none of the AGM members objected to the hijacking of their powers for producing desirable results. No body objected to Government employees working for NGOs while drawing salary from the state exchequer, a tendency which was undermining governance and rule of law, besides promoting culture of impunity and cronyism.

An interesting situation developed when a delegate pointed out that the annual report was silent about the implementation of the resolutions unanimously passed by last AGM. In response the Chairman produced hand written copy of minutes which were in variance with the minutes officially issued on letterhead by the Manager GADO. On this the delegates, especially ladies, became furious and blamed the BOD of using the AGM to endorse their own agenda instead of implementing AGM policy guidelines. It may be noted that the present BOD has already disbanded expert advisory committee, turned AGM into rubberstamp and has now kicked the Manager upwards in the I.C funded Livelihood Program, to pave way for whimsical and motivated decision making. Another interesting goofy coming from the Chairman was his advice to audience to spend electricity without installing meters, while electricity generating clusters are trying to get meters installed to stop electricity thefts and improve their cluster incomes. Had there been no disaster rehabilitation funding most of these micro hydels would have closed down by now, thanks to the culture of not paying bills and cheating. It may be noted that these micro hydels generate electricity barely enough for lighting through energy savers and its unchecked and meter-free use may send these power houses packing into the dustbin of history.

The meeting ended with prize distribution among volunteers of GADO.

(Comment by Islamuddin)