ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has started a probe into the cleanliness and garbage collection contract worth Rs650 million per annum awarded by the civic agency last year.

Through an official letter, FIA’s Corporate Crime Circle has asked the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) to furnish complete records of the contract.

“Inquiry has been registered on the complaints of the director general management CDA regarding irregularities committed in award of works ..privatisation/provision of cleaning, sweeping, collection and transportation of solid waste/garbage from sector G-6,G-7, G-8 etc (package I), from sectors G-9, G-10, G-11 etc (package II) and sectors I-8, I-10, expressway Islamabad (package III),” said the FIA letter.

Dated March 17, the letter also directed the MCI to nominate an officer to assist the investigation agency.

Sources in the DMA said their directorate had nothing to do with the contract and the letter has been forwarded to the Directorate of Sanitation, which falls under the administrative control of the CDA.

Officials of the Sanitation Directorate said the record was being collected and will be shared with the FIA in a few days.

Private contractor was hired for Rs650m last year

The contract was awarded by MCI last year to a contractor against Rs650 million per annum. However, months after the award of the contract, the federal government placed the Sanitation Directorate under the administrative control of the CDA. After taking control of this directorate, the CDA pointed out that the contract was awarded in an alleged fraudulent manner and an ineligible contractor was awarded the contract.

In February this year, the CDA board scrapped the contract and referred the matter to FIA.

After scrapping the project, the Sanitation Directorate has been carrying out the cleanliness of streets, roads and collecting garbage through private janitors who were earlier engaged with the private contractor.

Meanwhile, the CDA also called tenders for awarding the contract afresh. However, the contractor got a stay order from court, pleading that the CDA had cancelled his contract without hearing his point of view.

Since the civic agency outsourced the cleanliness work years ago, the citizens have been suffering due to strikes and protests by the janitors against non-payment of their salaries from the private contractors.

An official of the CDA said that there were also reports that the contractor did not pay salaries to janitors in accordance with the contract. Under the contract, the salary should not be less than the minimum wage decided by the federal government. The official said that due to the fear of being jobless, the janitors opted not to raise their voice against the cut in their salaries.

The official said there should be no outsourcing of cleanliness operation rather the CDA should conduct this operation through its own staff to avoid exploitation of janitors and wastage of funds.

“If there is shortage of staff, the CDA can hire new staff.”

However, another official said CDA’s own staff did not work seriously and outsourcing was a good option provided contracts are awarded in a transparent manner with proper check and balance, he said.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2021