ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary watchdog committee on Wednesday discovered that the Gilgit-Baltistan administration is yet to get a ductile iron supply that the federal government had paid the contractor Rs51 million for 15 years ago.

“This is unfortunate…this is unacceptable,” gasped PTI MNA Shafqat Mehmood at the discovery made by a sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly. “It seems some government officials were hand in gloves with the contractor. How else the Water and Power Department of GB pay millions in advance and forget the deal.”

Also read: Gilgit-Baltistan alienation

PML-N Pervaiz Malik agreed with him. “There is something fishy about it,” he said.

Eventually, the sub-committee, which was examining audit paras of 1998-99, directed the federal secretary of the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan to take disciplinary action against the officials involved in the apparently fraudulent deal.

Federal secretary asked to recover money and punish those responsible

Others who attended the sub-committee meeting included Ms Shaida Akhtar Ali of JUI-F, Secretary Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Balitstan Shahid Ullah Baig and concerned government officials.

MNA Shafqat Mehmood in the chair directed Secretary Baig to recover outstanding amount from the contractor and fix responsibility for paying the contractor in full without the goods being delivered.

While briefing the committee, the secretary said that this case has been in litigation for the last 15 years. “I feel sorry, this case could not be settled as yet,” the secretary said and assured to resolve the issue as early as possible.

Earlier, government auditors told the committee that in 1997 Water and Power Division of GB made payment of Rs 690,160,00 for supply of ductile iron pipe in June 1994 whereas the contractor supplied pipes worth Rs175,949,40 up to July 1997.

They said that this resulted into undue financial aid of Rs514,210,60 to the contractor.

The auditors also noted that Water and Power Division Sakardu also failed to recover Rs160,000 from Pakistan Army, Executive Engineer B&R Division and Shangrila Tourists Resort.

However, secretary told the committee members that he had taken up this issue with Army, but they were not willing to pay. He requested the committee to write off this amount due towards Pakistan Army, Executive Engineer B&R Division and Shangrila Tourists Resort. To this chair directed the audit department to write to Finance Ministry for writing off this amount.

Replying to a question, the secretary told the committee members that wheat supply problems had been resolved in the GB.

He said that there used to be 45 wheat mills including a number of illegal ones operating in GB for the population of just 2 lakh people.

“To stop mushroom growth of wheat mills we took notice and got all illegal ones closed,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2014