KARACHI, June 27: The Pakistan Steel management has ordered the unloading of over 90 tons of aluminium supplied without any legal documents from trucks into the mills, it is learnt.

The sources said that under the rules proper documentation was required before a supplier was allowed to supply the goods to the Steel Mills, but in this case the aluminium had been supplied without even getting the most important document, the purchase order from the mills.

The sources said that aluminium was one of the most important inputs used to make steel and proper care needed to be taken in its purchase and handling. Last year because of the use of substandard aluminium the worst ever industrial accident occurred at the Steel Mills leaving several workers dead and many injured.

The sources said that as the relevant documents were not available with the Gujranwala-based supplier the relevant departments of the Steel Mills did not allow the unloading of aluminium from the trucks, but the supplier approached the chief of the Mills who ordered the unloading of the material without the required documents.

The sources said that in a communication to the Steel Mills chief the suppliers claimed that they had been supplying the material to the Mills without the documentation that was being asked of them now.

Meanwhile, various trade unions representing different groups of the Steel Mill workers urged the authorities to institute a probe into the Mills’ affairs in general and in this case in particular, to see if the organization was being run in a transparent manner and all the rules and regulations were being followed.

The sources said that the Gujranwala-based Faisal Metal Works (FMW), in a letter to the Pakistan Steel chief, said that though their company was the lowest bidder in a tender for the supply of 415 tons of aluminium, they had not been issued the purchase order (PO) by the Steel Mills’ department concerned.

The FMW said that they had requested the purchase department and the director commercial for the issuance of the PO, but it had not been issued.

“The purchase department was of the view that since we had supplied aluminium without having the PO in the last tender, we could do the same this time too,” the FMW communication to the Steel Mills chief said.

General manager (purchase) Khalid M. Akhtar, however, said the decision to transport aluminium was solely that of the FMW.”

He said that bringing the material without the PO to the Mills should be interpreted as pressure tactics by the supplier.