KARACHI, June 26: Minister for Industries and Trade Rauf Siddiqui on Thursday told the Sindh Assembly that the estate engineer of the Site Limited had made an advance payment of Rs20,668,065 to various departments during the period from July to September 2006. However, he said, there was no need to investigate it since it was not an offence.

Responding to a question, during question hour, by MPA Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto and other members, who demanded an inquiry by the Sindh Assembly’s standing committee into alleged misappropriation by officials of the Site Limited, he said an inquiry could be held if funds were misappropriated.

The minister said the assistant engineer refused to adjust the amount in the measurement book, but the estate engineer of Site himself adjusted the amount in the measurement book, he replied that as per the rules the measurement book was not required in case of departmental works and payments were made directly to the contractors as per the bills.

A number of MPAs asked the minister to tell the house about the reasons of releasing the advance payment by the estate engineer. MPAs Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto, Anwar Mahar, Munawwar Abbasi and others asked the minister to elaborate the reasons or the emergency situation in which the advance payment by the official of the company was made. However, the minister could not give reasons and sought time till Thursday.

When he was asked why the inquiry was not conducted into the alleged misappropriation of funds by the officials, he said that now investigation would be initiated into the matter on the demand of members of the assembly.

He said if misappropriation was proved, the officials responsible would be punished as per the law. The house demanded that the speaker constitute a standing committee of the house to inquire into the alleged corruption.

When the minister was asked by Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto why, in violation of the rules and regulations, the Site Limited during the caretaker government had deposited Rs100 million in the newly established private banks -- Faisal Bank and Al-Falah Bank, he replied that the Site Limited was a company established under the Company’s Act, 1913. He said its working was governed by the decisions of the board of directors and in order to get better returns, Rs100 million was invested in Faisal Bank and Al-Falah Bank as per approval of the board of directors.

The MPAs expressed their concern over the deposit of this amount into these private banks and demanded an inquiry into the matter.The minister was asked if the Site Limited was a company established under the Company’s Act 1913, then how the Ministry of Industries and Commerce had the right to control it, but he could not satisfy the house on the question.—PPI