ABDUL RASHEED AZAD

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed the Planning Commission of Pakistan to give a detailed briefing to the panel on incomplete and under construction national projects.

The PAC met here on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah to discuss/review the audit objections of the Ministry of Housing and Works for 2013-14.

The chairman committee observed that senior officials of the Ministry of Planning and Development are making table plans for different projects that result in escalation of the projects actual costs. He said that owing to the above reason there is a need to stop table planning and make actual planning as per ground realities so that project costs may not escalate too much.

Shah, while quoting the example of new Islamabad Airport project, said that the estimated cost of the project was Rs 38 billion, but now it has reached to Rs108 billion mark only because of table planning.

The panel settled multimillion rupees audit paras of the Ministry of Housing and Works. Audit officials revealed the panel that executive engineer Ministry of Housing escalated project costs manifold by tampering the bidding documents. Senator Azam Khan Swati said why the ministry didn’t take appropriate action against the culprit on time.

The ministry officials said that the executive engineer has retired now. The panel directed the principal accounting officer of the Housing Ministry to register first information report (FIR) against the accused, suspend his pension and report to the panel of all the steps being taken by the ministry in this regards.

MNA Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said that he managed to approve multimillion rupees projects for his constituency which included construction of hospitals, educational institutions and others. He said that 90 percent work on a number of projects completed years ago, but the present government deliberately stopped providing further funds to such projects.

Khurasheed Shah said that Sheikh Rasheed has highlighted this issue 8th time in PAC meeting but as yet the government has taken no action. He added that if the developmental schemes in Sheikh Rasheed constituency are not completed the expenditures already made should be recovered from the Ministry of Planning and Development.

MNA Raja Javed Ikhlas said that in NA 51 a total Rs 1.65 billion schemes were approved of which Rs244 million funds for the schemes lapsed. Sheikh Rasheed said that government was not releasing approved funds for schemes for his constituency.

Khursheed Shah on complain of Sheikh Rasheed directed the senior officials of the ministry of Planning and Development to give the panel a detailed briefing on the subject in next meeting.

Member Committee Sardar Ashiq Hussian Gopang talking on the issue of Thalyan Housing Scheme launched by the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority said that the first the subcommittee of the PAC will discuss the matter in detail and will submit a final report to the PAC.