ISLAMABAD, Oct 21: The Pakistan Television Corporation high-ups are in a fix over unauthorised spending of Rs226 million on establishing a news and current affairs studio at the PTV’s Islamabad headquarters.

An external audit has found that the PTV officials spent hundreds of millions of rupees without the government’s approval, saying they were so directed by former prime minister Shaukat Aziz.

The Central Development Working Party had not approved the initial project cost of Rs332 million and had asked a committee comprising representatives from the planning commission, finance division and the PTV to revise it.

The committee scrutinised the project proposal and slashed its cost by Rs106 million on January 2.

The PC-1 document available with Dawn reveals that the committee also objected to PTV’s short-listing of only one supplier who quoted equipment from three different vendors, that too three to four times overpriced.

The committee was shocked when PTV Director Engineering Mujahid Bin Sayyed informed it that over Rs178 million had already been spent because Mr Aziz wanted the studio set up on a ‘war footing’.

The PTV officials were, however, unable to produce the former prime minister’s directives when the committee and external auditors asked for the same.

The audit firm notes that the PTV officials have spent Rs194 million without approval of project cost estimates by the CDWP.

The audit documents further reveal that the Chagai studio is still not fully operational and equipment worth millions of rupees remain unused for lack of expert staff – a basic requirement for a project which was never given a thought by the planners.

Despite a ban on purchase of new vehicles, the PTV bought luxury vehicles on the pretext of replacing old ones, which are still in use.

The project has also exceeded the budgeted cost by Rs10.5 million amidst allegations that unknown consultants were hired for civil works involved in modifying the studio.

Meanwhile, PTV’s present big bosses arranged a visit by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani of the news studio a couple of months back, apparently to get his nod for the project. Whether the approval was given is not clear, but the Chagai studio has been made operational and is presently being used, among other things, for the PTV managing director’s current affairs programme.

Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Salman Farooqi had constituted a committee comprising the additional secretary finance, additional secretary ministry of information & broadcasting and additional secretary planning commission to probe the matter.

With its findings yet to come, PTV sources claim that the former PTV MD Yousuf Baig Mirza, Director Engineering Mujahid Bin Sayyed and Controller IT Fakhar Hameed led the project right from the beginning.

New MD Dr Shahid Masood said in a statement that after assuming charge he had launched an inquiry, but it could not go ahead for lack of cooperation from PTV lobbies.

Dr Shahid said he had made Chagai news studio operational because the amount was already spent on purchase of equipment, which may have been stolen if not put to work.

The PTV MD said he had sent the audit findings to the president, prime minister and the chairman of Public Accounts Committee.

He said that the former PTV boss and information secretary should be held responsible for misappropriating the public money.

The writer works for DawnNews