BAHAWALPUR: An alleged embezzlement of millions of rupees has been detected in the salaries’ head of forest department’s field (class IV) employees during the last about 18 years in Bahawalnagar district.

It is learnt that the alleged misappropriation of government funds (between 1996 and 2014) was unearthed a few days back.

An auditor of the data certification section of the AGP’s audit department, on some lead, dashed to Bahawalnagar and traced the misuse of funds in salaries of the forest field staff, including guards, block officers, beldars, gardeners, chowkidars and peons.

The auditor found that office accountant Abdul Rashid, who held the charge of head clerk, in connivance with district forest officers, who had been posted there from time to time during the said period, was involved in the alleged scam.

These district forest officers (DFOs) had been delegated the powers of drawing and disbursing salaries of the field staff.

The auditor reported the matter to the Punjab AGP who conveyed it to the high-ups of the Forest department.

Consequently, a high-level inquiry committee was formed with Chief Conservator Rana Shabeer Ahmed was nominated as its convener while budgets and accounts (forest) director Mahmood Latif and Faisalabad division conservator of forests Ijaz Hussain Shirazi as its members.

Meanwhile, Bahawalnagar DFO Syed Jawad Shah got registered a corruption case against accountant Abdul Rashid with the Anti-Corruption Establishment. But the accountant along with relevant records managed to flee.

It is learnt the inquiry team probed the issue for about a week in Bahawalnagar and finalized its report which will be submitted to the government for fixing the responsibility and taking action against a number of DFOs and the other staff.

Bahawalpur Division’s Conservator of Forests Liaquat Suleri has refused to provide details of the alleged fraud, but confirmed that a committee has conducted an inquiry on the complaint of the auditor.

He said action would be taken against all those DFOs and other officials of the district office who were involved in the financial fraud only after the approval of the committee’s report by the government.

He said the amount embezzled during the period could be in millions which the committee had yet to be assessed.

HOCKEY: The girls hockey team of Vehari defeated the Lahore district hockey team by 1-0 in the All Punjab Inter-District Floodlit Girls Hockey Championship at Motiullah Stadium here on Sunday night.

At least 13 hockey teams from across the province are taking part in the championship.

Punjab Minister for Cooperatives Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar gave away the prizes.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd , 2014