LAHORE, Sept 17: The Punjab Assembly Public Accounts Committee-II on Wednesday took up audit paras pertaining to civil audit of the agriculture department.

The committee, chaired by Asif Ahmad Manais, expressed its displeasure over department’s collective performance and the “rampant corruption” in it.

It observed that in a random audit corruption and bogus payments worth Rs70 million had been unearthed, and had there been a total audit of the department’s accounts, the amount might soar up to Rs700 million.

The committee recommended demotion by two steps of Bahawalpur water management coordinator Mohammed Naseer for a bogus payment of Rs18.80 million.

It summoned the Toba Tek Singh EDO to the next hearing for his failure to implement directions of the committee regarding the recovery of Rs1.909 million from water management official Fazal Din. The official hailed from Toba district.

It also recommended termination from service of field team supervisor Shahid for corruption of Rs2.13 million.

In a Rs1.16 million bogus payment case of water management coordinator Munawwar Hasan, the committee remarked that it seemed that the department itself had provided a chance to the accused to flee the country.

Meanwhile, the Privileges Committee of the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday recorded statements of MPAs Nayyera Murtaza Lone and Shaikh Ijaz Ahmad against manhandling of opposition MPAs by police on assembly’s premises on May 27.

Four more opposition MPAs — Sagheera Islam, Ijaz Samma, Rana Mashhud and Dr Asad Ashraf — were also to depose against the police action but they did not turn up before the committee.

However, SSP (operations) Aftab Cheema and the then Model Town SP, Tahir Alam, were present during committee’s proceedings.