LAHORE: Alleged irregularities worth billions in the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) will be discussed in the Punjab Assembly as adjournment motions have been submitted with the assembly secretariat.

The House is requested to put off other agenda and take up the issue moved through the motion concerned.

Submitted by Khadija Umar Farooqui and Dr Murad Ras, MPAs belonging to the PML-Q and PTI respectively, the motions alleged that foreign companies were offered contracts at 34pc higher rates in violation of merit.

Quoting a report of the Auditor-General of Pakistan, it was claimed that the company had its own bulldozers, dumpers and front-loaders at Lakhuder and Mehmood Booti landfill sites but a certain firm was given the contract without any documentation.

It was also alleged that the company didn’t have record of over Rs30 billion expenditure, the agreements signed with foreign contractors, use of funds etc. The public money was utilised without any verification of documents as the LWMC had unsatisfactory internal control mechanism.

It said that in nine cases embezzlement worth over Rs45 million had been detected and there was no record of Rs30 million expenses. In 67 cases, irregularities worth over Rs76 million and a fraud worth Rs34.79 million were unearthed.

It was stated that the LWMC did not surrender over Rs1.0245 billion at the end of the financial year.

The MPs demanded that a comprehensive report should be presented before the Punjab Assembly and action taken against those found responsible for the irregularities.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2017