KARACHI: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Sindh Assembly on Tuesday stressed the need to have uniform rules in all public sector universities for smooth working and to avoid academic disturbances due to strikes by their gazetted and non-gazetted staff for similar allowances and benefits as were granted to their colleagues in any one university in the province.

Presiding over a meeting held here at the Committee Room No-1 of the assembly building on Tuesday to consider the 2009-10 audit report of the Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, PAC chief Saleem Raza Jalbani decided to write to the chief minister either to obtained sanction from the finance department or recover from the staff concerned Rs5.928 million loss sustained by the university due to non-observation of government instruction due to payment of medical allowance to its employees working in BPS-17 and above at the rate of Rs2,000 per month instead of re-imbursement of actual expenditure on medical treatment as and when occurred. And Rs1.352 billion paid to the employees working in BS-01 to BS-16 at the enhanced rate of Rs1000 per month from Rs600 as per pattern of the University of Sindh Jamshoro which were approved by the syndicate of the university.

Vice Chancellor Perveen Shah earlier drew attention of the committee towards settlement of such allowance by the last PAC in its meeting held on Nov 16, 2009.

In today’s meeting, only one para involving Rs 117,543 out of seven paras was settled. The settled para pertians to payment to contractors over and above the sanctioned estimates for execution of extra items while the unsettled six paras involved Rs 44.136 million regarding irregular expenditure for purchase of four generators, irregular payment of medical allowance of Rs1.9446 million, non-adjustment of advances against employees amounting to Rs805,300, irregular payment of electricity charges amounting to Rs4.201 million and gas charges of Rs3.0812 million and irregular and un-authorised payment of conveyance allowance amounting Rs1.4202 billion.

The vice chancellor informed the PAC that in the case of generators, all codal formalities had been followed. But Director General Audit Ghulam Akbar Sohu said that as the minutes of the tender committee had not been not produced, the para could not be settled.

As far as adjustment of advances was concerned, the DG audit said that the amount had been not adjusted in the year of withdrawal 2008-09, but in March 2010, which was violation and this practice should be discontinued in future.

Regarding over and excess payment of medical allowances to gazetted and non-gazetted staff, the vice chanceloor took the plea that the allowance was allowed as per pattern of the University of Sindh Jamshoro, which was adopted as approved by the syndicate of SALU.

The chairman of PAC asked the VC to produce the powers of the syndicate under which it could allow the medical allowance at its own at the enhanced rates.

Regarding irregular payment of electricity and gas charges, the VC informed the PAC that the university supplied electricity to residence from bulk meter and charged its employees at the rates approved by the syndicate.

The PAC chief asked the VC about efforts made for installation of individual meters at the residence of the employees.This objection was raised in 2008-09 whereas the same status prevailed despite a lapse of five years.

Regarding payment of conveyance allowance to the employees, the DG audit pointed out that the Khairpur city did not fall under the authorised city for grant of monthly conveyance allowance during the particular year.

The PAC directed the university authorities to recover the amount in instalment from the employees.

The VC said these paras pertained to previous years when she was not the VC as she only took the charge in 2012. She assured the PAC that she would try to follow the rules and also ensure to provide relevant documents for settling the remaining paras.

Other members who contributed in the PAC meeting were Lal Chand Ukrani and Ms Sorath.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2014