ISLAMABAD: The office of the auditor general of Pakistan is set to carry out a special audit of different wings of Capital Development Authority (CDA) from 1988.The directorate general audit and works will audit the CDA directorates of land, estate management, planning, finance and engineering as well as the building control section (BCS).

According to an audit officer, the special audit would be carried out from the next month in the light of directions issued by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) during its recent meetings.

The directorate general audit and works last week submitted an audit report to the PAC for the year 2013-14, alleging Rs19 billion irregularities in the CDA accounts.

A major chunk of the Rs19 billion irregularities related to the directorate of land, estate management and BCS.


Auditor general’s office carrying out audit on directions of PAC


The audit officer said the special audit would ascertain how the authority had become a white elephant from a profitable institution.

“At one point of time, the CDA reserves had touched Rs100 billion but today the civic agency is unable even to pay salaries to its employees on time.”

He claimed that weak financial management and massive corruption were the key reasons for the poor financial health of the civic agency which now has to sell plots to pay salaries of its employees.

A CDA audit report for the year 2013-14 disclosed that the civic agency never prepare a balance sheet of its accounts since its establishment in 1960.

Section 44 of the CDA Ordinance 1960 required the civic agency to prepare the balance sheet together with accounts/financial statements on such a form as prescribed by the auditor general of Pakistan.

The audit report added that the planning directorate alone was responsible for over Rs9 billion loss to the national exchequer as it did not properly dispose of 29 industrial plots in Sector I-9 besides failing to recover commercialisation charges from allottees of industrial plots and take possession of 458 kanals in E-11.

Likewise, the BCS was accused of relaxing rules and giving undue favour to owners of commercial plots which caused about Rs2 billion loss.

The audit report said the land directorate failed to retrieve 1,542 kanals worth Rs2.3 billion from a private housing society in Kurri village. Besides, forgery was also detected in the list of the Kurri model village affected persons which resulted in an extra payment of Rs25 million to fake land owners.

The auditors also identified 162 cases of non-conforming use of residential houses in which the CDA failed to take action against the violators.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2016

Opinion

Editorial

Afghan turbulence
Updated 19 Mar, 2024

Afghan turbulence

RELATIONS between the newly formed government and Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban rulers have begun on an...
In disarray
19 Mar, 2024

In disarray

IT is clear that there is some bad blood within the PTI’s ranks. Ever since the PTI lost a key battle over ...
Festering wound
19 Mar, 2024

Festering wound

PROTESTS unfolded once more in Gwadar, this time against the alleged enforced disappearances of two young men, who...
Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...