PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has expressed reservations about irregularities committed in the communication and works department and ordered recovery of Rs34.7 million from the people responsible for it.

The order was issued during a meeting presided by MPA Shaukat Ali Yousafzai and attended by MPAs Idrees Khattak, Arbab Akbar Hayat and Qurban Ali, said an official statement issued here on Monday.

The committee discussed various audit objections for the financial year 2010-11 about C and W Division Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakhtunkhwa Highways Authority Peshawar and Provincial Building (Construction) Division No 1 Peshawar in the light of audit reports 2011-12 and 2012-13.

The committee expressed reservations about discrepancies in tender documents of a project of Executive Engineer Highway Division Dera Ismail Khan.

The PAC expressed dissatisfaction with the departmental investigation and declared the report incorrect.

The committee members also voiced reservations about discrepancy in signatures of contractors concerned.

After detailed discussion, the committee ordered recovery of the said amount from the responsible people.

The PAC also took notice of the remaining amount of income tax payment under the executive engineer of highway division, Peshawar, during the financial year 2010-11.

After detailed discussion, the committee ordered the relevant officials to settle the matter with the audit officials saying if this doesn’t happen, then the amount of money should be recovered and deposited in the national exchequer.

The committee also ordered recovery of Rs1.9 million from a contractor working with the communication and works department.

About the payment of Rs18.8 million to a contractor, it asked the relevant department to fulfil the audit requirement within one month and produce a report.

The committee expressed anger at the extra payment of Rs7.5 million to another contractor and asked the department that if it could not satisfy the committee on the matter, then the amount of money would be recovered from the responsible persons.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2015

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