NAROWAL, Oct 4: The district information officer has allegedly been misusing the official vehicle and other paraphernalia besides having his involvement in other irregularities for the last three-and-a-half years.

Through sources Dawn learnt that District Information Officer Karamatullah Chaudhry was posted in Narowal in 2005, but he had not been attending the office from day one and instead getting his attendance marked by using the call transfer facility at his home. Whenever senior Punjab government officers ring him up for attendance, his subordinates divert the call to his residence.

Being on ‘duty’ while staying at his residence in Gujranwala, the official had taken away the vehicle (LHY-4475), the entire computer system and the fax machine to his place and had been using these facilities for personal tasks, alleged the sources.

They said the official affairs of Narowal were in the hands of the clerical staff. “The delinquent official has asked his staff to transfer the call to his home when any provincial government authority rings up for his attendance.”

Sources further alleged that the information officer got all the petrol vouchers for the vehicle from Gujranwala and got them encashed along with fictitious TA (traveling allowance) bills from the government exchequer in connivance with the district accounts office staff.

Some local journalists said they had never found the district information officer at his office as he stayed in Gujranwala. They said they had rarely received a fax or telephone call from him during the last three years.

Asked to respond to the allegations, Karamatullah Chaudhry said: “I am a heart patient and it is very difficult for me to travel daily from Gujranwala to Narowal and back. So I am looking after the affairs of the office through telephone.”

He said he would have no problem staying in Narowal to attend the office regularly if “the seniors desire so”.

District Coordination Officer Waqas Ali Mahmood said he had sought explanation from the information officer for staying away from duty and also reported the matter to the Directorate General Public Relations, Punjab, to take necessary action.