ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Tuesday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to take legal action against officials for delaying the installation of e-services in the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

The direction was made during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information on Wednesday which met for a briefing on the implementation of its orders regarding the installation of e-services in the CDA by a private IT company, LMK Resources.

The FIA has been investigating irregularities in 13 National Information Technology Board (NITB) projects funded by the Public Sector Development Program after a complaint was lodged by the IT ministry. The agency said that 13 government departments, including the CDA, have not fully implemented e-governance projects for which hundreds of computers were purchased but were never even switched on.

The e-governance program is a project of the IT ministry which began a year ago in 13 departments to encourage a paperless environment. The non-implementation of the project has cost the government more than Rs1.5 billion.

The automation of 11 wings in the CDA was initiated through the NITB and LMK Resources was engaged by the CDA for the software.

During its meeting on Tuesday, the committee observed that while LKMR was willing to fulfil its contractual obligations, CDA was reluctant to introduce information technology based operations to ensure transparency in its functioning with end benefits for the people.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Senator Shibli Faraz said CDA is reluctant to implement the project like all government departments and that the FIA was putting unnecessary pressure on the private firm when the government departments are slacking.

“We expect FIA to take action against all guilty parties. Targeting a private IT firm will create the wrong impression, especially when the company has worked with the government and delivered over the years,” he said.

Joint Secretary Ministry of Information Technology Syed Khalid Gardezi also said the FIA’s approach is its investigation was discriminatory against the private IT firm.

“Other officials nominated in the FIR are equally responsible for the failure of the project but are not being pursued,” he said.

The FIA suggested that the e-governance project be scraped, those nominated in the FIR be arrested by the investigation agency, recover the losses incurred by the exchequer and launch the project afresh.

LKMR Vice President Research and Development Haroon Sharif requested the committee for relief and said his company has fulfilled its contractual obligations.

“The remaining aspects of the project will be concluded according to the requirements in the CDA,” he said.

The committee chairman, Awami National Party Senator Shahi Syed said he is not satisfied with the continuous delays in his directions to conclude the project.

The committee, which was meeting for the last time after completing its three-year term, closed the subject with the direction that the issue be pursued by the next committee on IT.

“This matter must not be brushed under the carpet until the public money is recovered or utilised properly,” Mr Syed said.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2018