ISLAMABAD: The district administration may have sought contributions from revenue officials and the excise and taxation office to renovate the official residence of the state minister for interior, according to sources in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration.

Millions of rupees worth of renovation work has been carried out of on the home of the state minister in the Ministers’ Enclave, but none of the relevant organisations – from the Public Works Department (PWD) to the Capital Development Authority and the ICT administration – have explained where the funds for the renovation came from.

State Minister for Interior Shehryar Afridi was assigned his portfolio on Aug 31. After he took office, he was allotted house no.3 in the Ministers’ Enclave by the PWD, but the house was not in good condition.

The initial lot of 20 cabinet members who took oath on Aug 20, two days after the prime minister himself, were allotted homes in better condition.

PWD, CDA and ICT admin have not been able explain origin of funds to renovate state minister for interior’s official residence

Sources privy to the development told Dawn that when Mr Afridi asked for his house to be renovated, the PWD said it did not have the funds to do so.

The PWD is the relevant agency to execute repair and maintenance work on government-owned buildings, but the CDA also maintains official residences in its pool and the ICT administration undertakes development schemes as well.

According to sources, the PWD told the ministry it could spend Rs500,000 to Rs700,000 on a single house in the enclave per annum, that too subject to the availability of funds. Since the funds required for the renovation were much higher than the assigned limit, the PWD recommended preparing a PC-I instead, but warned the minister that the process would be time-consuming and subject to approval from the competent authorities.

The PWD handed over possession of the house to Mr Afridi after it was whitewashed, because it could not afford to replace the furniture or install home appliances.

An official of the PWD said that the house handed over to the minister without renovation and maintenance work.

Sources in the CDA said the district administration had asked the authority verbally to repair, maintain and renovate Mr Afridi’s house. The CDA said it was unable to renovate the house because doing so would be beyond its mandate.

The government recently placed the CDA, which used to work under the Capital Administration and Development Division, under the Ministry of Interior.

When the CDA refused, the district administration told the minister his residence would be renovated through the administration’s own resources, sources in the administration said.

Lacking the funds to do so, the administration then asked revenue officials such as patwaris, tehsildars, circle registrars and magistrates, and others to contribute. Sources said the office of excise and taxation contributed handsomely for Mr Afridi’s home.

A senior official of the ICT administration said that it is a practice that revenue and officials of the excise and taxation contribute in the events where administration requires funding.

According to sources, a naib tehsildar was tasked with coordinating with district administration officials to collect funds and disburse them to the contractor who was renovating the house.

They claimed the official was also responsible for buying materials such as furniture, ceramics, electronics and home appliances. They said the official was appointed to the district administration under the PPP government because his father was spiritually connected to the president at the time.

ICT Director Administration Ahmed Usman Javed expressed ignorance when asked about the release of funds to renovate the state minister’s house.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat said he was unaware of any such arrangement to renovate the minister’s house. He added that he would investigate the matter if any official in his personal capacity is making such an arrangement.

Mr Shafqaat also suggested that the minister may have engaged a contractor on his own.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Yasir Shakeel said the minister did not know whether the district administration’s ‘fund’ was used to carry out renovations in his house.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2018