ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani flag on the 220 feet high flagpole in H-8, said to be the tallest in South Asia, has been missing for two days.

Capital Development Authority (CDA) officials told Dawn the flag was installed after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif saw a 207ft Indian flag in Delhi in 2014 and was inspired to install an even higher national flag in Pakistan.

Through a government contractor, the CDA installed the flagpole at a cost of Rs21.38 million in 2014 in H-8, alongside Islamabad Highway.

However, the pole has been missing its flag for the last two days. CDA and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) employees at the site of the flagpole claimed the flag was removed on Saturday after it tore the day before in the wind, even though Friday was not windy.

CDA, MCI employees claim flag was removed on Saturday after it got torn

Some CDA officials claimed the flag was removed a few days ago, but employees at the site insisted it was removed on Saturday.

“Since the flag was torn, we removed it to repair it. We will hoist the flat again on Sunday. We are also trying to get a new flag as we have already moved a file to purchase a new one,” a CDA employee at the flag platform in H-8 said.

The flag has been installed at a greenbelt in H-8. At the time the project was being executed, the management had also announced that a public park would be established in the area but no steps were taken in this regard.

Mayor and CDA chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz said: “I have no idea if the flag has torn or been removed. In case the flag has torn, there should have been extra flags.

I will look into the matter and if there has been any negligence by the staff, I would take strict action.”

He added that he would ensure that the relevant directorate has extra flags and said: “If there was any issue of the flag tearing, nobody informed me of the issue.”

The 2015-16 audit report had revealed irregularities in this project. The auditor had said the CDA compromised transparency and awarded contracts without calling tenders for the project, which was worth Rs21m.

Sources in the CDA said the flag was installed on the direction of the Cabinet Secretariat. According to the audit report, the CDA Directorate of Parks began working on the construction of the pole, its design, manufacture, supply and installation in June 2014.

The contract was awarded to the Heavy Mechanical Complex (HMC) Taxila for Rs21.38m, which was their quoted bid, without a notice inviting tender and competitive bidding in violation of Public Procurement Rules.

The audit noted that a detailed analysis of the rate – the cost of material, manufacturing, transportation, erection and installation – was not available with the CDA to ascertain the responsibility of rates.

“The components of erection/installation were added twice in the quotation,” the report said, adding the cost of material was put down at Rs14m in addition to Rs5m for transportation and installation.

“The cost is in no way justified,” the report stated, explaining that the construction of the foundation for the installation of the pole was already executed by another contractor for Rs2.88m.

Auditors observed that CDA compromised transparency, deprived the entity of the advantage of competitive rates and denied fair opportunity to other prospective bidders for participation in the bidding process.

The report said the audit pointed out the irregularities in 2015, and the CDA had replied that because of the complex and unique nature of the project, the authority approached the HMC to execute it on a design and construction basis, and the HMC submitted a quotation of Rs21.38m accordingly.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2017