ISLAMABAD, Feb 27: Ad hoc Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman H.U. Beg has ordered the recovery of Rs3 million from a contractor on account of extra expenditure due to usage of costlier material for earth filling against the terms of contract meant for PNS Haider, Karachi.

Since the beneficiaries were the decision-makers in this case, therefore, they later on converted this A-class land into a housing scheme, Mr Beg said while chairing a meeting of the PAC here in the Parliament House on Tuesday.

PAC chief disapproved set up of a shoe factory at Karachi as NGO‘s welfare project at government expense, and viewed it a wrong way of doing things for welfare jobs.

He formed a sub-committee comprising Mr S.M. Zafarullah and Mr Muhammad Hasan Bhutto— members of Ad-hoc PAC— and one representative each from the ministries of finance, defence and office of the Auditor General. The sub-committee will furnish the report within 30 days to the PAC.

The committee was briefed that despite clear-cut rules, Rs2.822 million had not yet been recovered from private occupants against rent and allied charges pertaining to various naval establishments in Karachi.

The PAC ordered recovery of the amount within 60 days, and fixation of responsibility of the persons involved.

Mr Beg termed it a clear case of splitting of expenditure on local purchase of various items for Rs1.154 million by the ordnance directorate, GHQ, Rawalpindi, during the year 1999-00. He, therefore,asked the Principal Accounting Officer (PAO) to hold an inquiry, fix the responsibility and submit the report to PAC within 30 days.

Earlier, secretary defence in his introductory remarks had informed the PAC that Rs20 million were recovered out of Rs25 million, in compliance with the directives of the PAC.

The illegal use of military land is a vital issue of public interest. As such, 25 committees headed by a Brigadier have been set up in various cantonments to look into the various irregularities. The reports of 12 cantonments have already been recovered and decisions in right direction taken.

Mr Beg appreciated the efforts of secretary defence. He also said the impression by various segments of the society that defence perhaps was treated as a “Holy Cow” was not correct, in consideration of the review of their accounts by the PAC as well as positive response by ministry concerned in this regard.

The meeting was also attended by Lt-Gen Talat Masood (Rtd), Ahadullah Akram, Muzafar Ahmed, M Hasan Bhutto, S Shaukat Hussain Kazmi, Irtiza Hussain, S.M. Zafarullah and Mujahid Eshai, besides Acting Auditor General of Pakistan, secretary defence and others.