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| May 11, 2002 | Saturday | Safar 27, 1423 |
Report about polo ground submitted to PAC
ISLAMABAD, May 10: The audit department submitted a special audit report about the construction of a polo ground and stable sheds worth Rs52.297 million to the Federal Ad-hoc Public Accounts Committee (PAC) at a meeting, held here on Friday.
The chairman of the committee, H. U. Beg, presided over the meeting, attended by committee members Irtiza Hussain, Syed Shaukat Hussain Kazmi, Hassan Bhutto, Muzaffar Ahmad, Ahadullah Akmal and S. M. Zafarullah.
According to the report, the Capital Development Authority constructed the polo ground, stable sheds and other allied structure in the premises of the Prime Minister House on about 20 acres of land.
Work on the project was started in November 1993, and was completed by November 1996 at a cost of Rs52.297 million.
The audit report said the project had been started on the verbal orders of “the VVIP of the PM House” without any feasibility study, assessment, justification of need and fulfilment of procedural and financial rules.
The report pointed out the following irregularities in the project:
The work was not provided in the original plan of the Prime Minister House in 1980. In 1993, this work was arbitrarily included and the work was started without formalities.
Islamabad Capital Territory’s municipal by-laws (1968) were violated. Neither PC-I was approved by the CDWP before the commencement of work nor anticipatory approval of the project was obtained.
The work was commenced without administrative approval, drawing of NIT, invitation of open tender through advertisement in the press, execution of proper contract agreement and provision of requisite funds.
Repeated revisions in the estimates were made on verbal instructions causing several times rise in the cost of construction. The CDWP accorded ex-post factor approval as a fait accompli.
A briefing of the previous PAC was also included in the report. The then PAC, headed by M. Hamza, constituted a sub-committee under the chairmanship of Syed Zafar Ali Shah, then MNA, to investigate into the whole affairs of the polo ground and stable sheds in the Prime Minister’s House and to report to the committee within two months. Only one meeting was held on Feb 18, 1999, and the National Assembly was suspended on Oct 12, 1999.
The case of the polo ground and stable sheds has already been referred to the National Accountability Bureau and the FIA for further investigations, discussed by the PAC on Friday.
PRINTING CORPORATION: Accumulated losses of the Printing Corporation of Pakistan (PCP) rose to Rs560 million till June 30, 2001, according to an audit report for the financial year 1999-2000.
This was pointed out in an audit report, submitted by the audit department to the Federal Ad-hoc Public Accounts Committee.
The share capital of Rs104.528 million stood eroded and negative equity stood at Rs434.217 million on June 30, 2001, and current assets of Rs414.915 million only were held.
The corporation suffered heavy losses of Rs93.302 million only in the financial year 1999-2000.—APP
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