ISLAMABAD: The Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) on Tuesday formed a committee to probe alleged mega corruption cases in the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA).

After approval of the MCI administrator, Irfan Nawaz Memon, who is also the deputy commissioner, the DMA on Tuesday notified the three-member committee which will be headed by Director Administration Ghulam Shabbir.

The committee has been tasked with looking into five audit paras, which were pointed out during special audit in 2019-21.

“The committee is requested to probe the matter within three weeks enabling this office for submission of reply to the audit paras of special audit to the director audit CDA,” read the notification.

The committee will probe para 2, 3,5,6 and 10 of the special audit report. According to the audit report, para 2 was related to non-maintenance of record for parking fee of the parking lot adjacent to Centaurus Mall, Shakarparian and Daman-i-Koh.

Non-maintenance of record of parking fee for space adjacent to Centaurus, in Shakarparian, Daman-i-Koh among alleged irregularities

Para 3 is related to irregular/doubtful expenditure on account of salaries of the fee collection staff and other miscellaneous charges in the parking sites.

Similarly, para 5 had pointed out irregular expenditure of Rs28.949 million incurred at the site of Diplomatic Shuttle Service while para 6 is about less recovery (Rs77.635 million) on account of fee from the shuttle service. Para 10 is related to non-recovery of rent of 19 kiosks at the G-9 bus stand and two kiosks at Centaurus Mall parking.

During the special audit, the audit teams had pointed out irregularities and alleged corruption, including less recovery from Diplomatic Shuttle Service and G-9 bus stand, and made 12 audit paras. However, an inquiry was ordered against six paras.

When contacted, the DMA director said action was being taken against all 12 paras and an inquiry was ordered against those six paras against which there was no serious reply.

The audit was conducted by a special team of the CDA headed by audit officer Rao Shahid Pervez. The team was tasked with carrying out the special audit of the last two years of car parking in Shakarparian and Daman-i-Koh, at a space adjacent to Centaurus and Diplomatic Bus Shuttle Service.

The CDA had ordered the special audit of these projects over reports of alleged corruption after the relevant officials, instead of auctioning them, opted for the self-collection system.

At Centaurus, Shakarparian and Daman-i-Koh car parking and the G-9 bus terminal, the municipal officers did self-collection and resorted to alleged corruption.

The special audit team after pointing out wrongdoings in March this year had recommended the initiation of inquiries to fix responsibility against the officials.

The audit report available with Dawn showed that parking ticket books were gotten printed from a local market and were not taken on stock nor numbers mentioned on it.

The auditors said due to the market-printed books, it was difficult for them to check the daily collection of parking fee and its remittance to the CDA and the MCI. They said the books were gotten printed without the approval of the competent authority.

“The maintenance of a stock register of ticket books is the basic requirement to check the parking fee receipt without which the exact collection could not be ascertained. In view of the above, the DMA administration may justify this serious financial irregularity which required investigation at an appropriate level,” the audit report said.

“Details of receipts and expenditure are not available/maintained. No record regarding payment of salaries and other expenditure was maintained and all expenditure incurred without approval of the competent authority. The payment of parking sites expenditure direct from the parking receipts is irregular and doubtful. This is a serious financial irregularity which shows loose financial discipline in DMA which requires proper justification,” the report said.

It said a previous contractor of Centaurus car parking had to pay Rs30 million but not a single notice was issued to him by the DMA for the recovery of the amount. After the DMA took over possession of parking sites and the bus terminal, the recovery of parking fee decreased abnormally compared to the bid of the contractor.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2022