KARACHI, May 18: The Chief Minister’s House in the 10 months of the current fiscal year has already spent about 50 per cent more than the amount it had spent in the entire previous year, it is learnt.
According to sources, the CM’s House had spent around Rs88.6 million in the year 2005-06 but this year, it exhausted more than Rs1,24.8 million till April 2007.
The sources said that how the money transactions at the CM’s House were being handled was not understandable, adding that while the amounts under various heads had been utilised in full, there were some heads under which not a single penny could be spent over the past 10 months.
The heads and the amounts spent till April end are the welfare fund for dead employees (Rs300,000); purchase of vehicles (Rs765,000); entertainment and gifts (Rs24.2 million/balance Rs0.8 million); discretionary funds (Rs22 million/balance Rs2.1 million); purchase of computers (Rs789,000); honorarium (Rs7.99 million/balance Rs0.01 million); medical charges (Rs495,572/balance Rs4,428).
The CM’s House has spent no funds under three heads – rent royal tax (Rs100,000); registration Rs350,000 and utility (Rs850,000).
A little amount has been spent under certain heads, the sources revealed, giving examples that hardly Rs10,000 have been spent on uniforms, etc against the allocation of over Rs600,000 and Rs46,500 on advertisement and publicity against the allocation of over Rs626,000.
Out of the amount of over Rs17.8 million allocated for the salaries of officials in the revised budget 2006-07, about Rs7.42 million was spent and out of over Rs18 million for the salaries of other staffers, a sum of Rs16.6 million was spent till April.
More than Rs26.1 million was allocated for the regular allowances out of which about Rs16.8 million was spent till last month whereas under the head of overtime/allowances out of the allocated Rs648,000, a sum of Rs411,469 was spent till April.
About Rs500,000 was allocated for leave salary out of which some Rs197,451 was spent while out of the Rs5.1 million allocated for purchase of machinery, about Rs2.1 million was spent.
Under the head of furniture, about Rs1.29 million was allocated and Rs1.19 million spent whereas out of the allocated amount of Rs300,000 for the purchase of crockery, Rs213,850 was spent.
A sum of Rs4.1million was spent on repair of vehicles against the allocation of Rs4.5million; over Rs100,000 spent on repairs of machinery against Rs500,000; Rs143,990 was spent on repair of furniture against Rs300,000; Rs2.9 million was spent under the head of travelling against Rs4 million; Rs7.2 million was spent on POL against Rs8.6 million; and Rs47,000 was spent on postage and stamps against the allocation of Rs200,000.
The sources also stated that Rs4.2 million was spent under the head of telephone bills against the allocation of Rs5.48 million; Rs508,000 was spent on office stationary against Rs958,000; Rs303,000 on printing and publication against Rs1 million; Rs310,000 was spent on newspapers against Rs400,000; and Rs1.77 million was spent under the head of miscellaneous against the allocation of Rs2 million.
Almost half the secret fund of Rs10 million was exhausted till April, the sources added.
