KARACHI: City Nazim blames AG office for funds lapse: CM’s help sought
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI, July 3: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan has approached Chief Minister Ali Mohammed Mahar for the release of funds allocated under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the financial year 2002-2003. The funds in question were meant for educational institutions in the city.
The Nazim maintains that the funds could not be released to the city government within the whole financial year due to, what he called, the indifferent attitude of the AG Sindh office.
It is learnt on good authority that the Nazim, in his fresh letter to the CM, complained that the AG Sindh office had failed to deliver in this regard which led to the lapse.
The city government’s education department had planned to utilize the funds in the procurement of furniture, science equipment and other educational material for schools and colleges. These institutions included the 10 newly built colleges where admission process was launched last year while new enrolments were kept pending till the announcement of acentralized admission policy, expected by next month, said a source in the city government.
The source pointed out that the department could not also pay the KESC dues within the stipulated time as the required amount was released by the AG Sindh office only five minutes before the deadline, i.e. end of the financial year.
The city government’s KESC dues amounted to Rs67.5 million. The source claimed that despite all out efforts and compliance by the concerned officials of the CDGK, the AG office did not clear the bills.
In his July 2 letter to the CM, Naimatullah Khan said that the responsibility of the lapse rested with the AG office and its staff.
Expressing remorse over the lapse, he requested the CM to consider revalidation of the funds for their utilization in the current financial year.
Defending the city government’s responsible attitude, the Nazim has written that the bills pertaining to revenue side were submitted well in time, even before the deadline fixed by the AG office. “In spite of the insulting behaviour of the officials in AG Sindh office, the relevant CDGK officials remained in touch with them to make it sure that the bills were cleared.”
Mr Khan said that he himself made many calls to the AG for the purpose. “In the only successful attempt, I made a personal requested to herfor the clearance of the pending bills and she promised to do the needful.” However, the city Nazim pointed out, she never let him know about any objection pertaining to the bills in question.
It is learnt that the AG office were reluctant to verify 34 out of 504 bills on various objections though the relevant office of the city government had sorted out the matter and provided the required evidences for a clearance. Even on June 29, late in the night, the city government staff tried to get some objections removed by providing copies of the security bonds and bank drafts — as a last ditch effort, the source said.
Finally on June 30, the AG office decided to close its door on a way out. I had sent a fax message at 8pm on June 30. However, the AG office verified the KESC dues and okayed the payment at 11.55pm in the same night leaving only five minutes for the CDGK to accomplish the task of completing the procedure, which proved next to impossible, Mr Khan has told the CM in the letter.
