ISLAMABAD, March 3: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has yet to start work on two projects, approved in February 1987 and March 1988, despite the release of Rs20.90 million , audit reports of the Establishment Division for the year 2003-04 revealed.

The Establishment Division had approved the construction of an additional building near Chaudhry Rehmat Ali Community Centre and construction of hostel for working men in the capital at a cost of Rs8.10 million and Rs9.99 million, respectively.

According to the audit report 2003-04 which will soon be presented before the Public Accounts Committee for further scrutiny as per the PC-I, the schemes were to be completed by the year 1991-92.

Under the PC-I, the execution of the project was assigned to the CDA and an amount of Rs12.42 million was released to the authority up to 1992 against the construction cost of Rs13.48 million.

The amounts transferred to the CDA, including the furnishing costs, accumulated to Rs20.90 million up to June 2002 but no work was started till 2003. Thus the public money unnecessarily remained blocked for more than 10 years and work on two projects were yet to begin.

According to the departmental reply that was quoted in the audit report, the Staff Welfare Organization (SWO) had taken up the issue with the CDA which informed that the delay was due to late receipt of structural and architectural drawings. However, it is correct that work has not been started so far.

The matter has been reported to the Establishment Division which will decide whether to stop work and ask the CDA to refund the payment or to go ahead with the project. Therefore, the audit department will be informed as soon as any decision is taken in this regard.

In its conclusion, the report has underlined that "development projects were not executed even after the lapse of 15 years and payment of Rs20.90 million". Similarly the audit report also detected that a development project "Welfare amenities to retired federal government servants and their dependents" was approved by the DDWP in 1989-90 at a cost of Rs13.82 million.

The scope of the project included stipends for the children of retired government servants, extension of buildings of daycare centres and other social and cultural activities.

Although the approved completion period of the project expired in 1992-93 a budget provision of Rs1.5 million was released during the year 2001-02 under demand No. 152-Capital Outlay on Civil Works.

No civil work was involved in Islamabad as there was no daycare centre for retired government servants but the said amount of Rs1.5 million was released to the CDA through Pak PWD under this heading.

The lapse was conveyed to Pak-PWD in December 2001. Accordingly, Pak PWD asked the CDA to refund the amount of Rs1.50 million already released to the authority, but it has yet not refunded, the report said.