ISLAMABAD: City managers, apparently succumbing to pressure exerted by a powerful labour union, have restored five officials who were recently suspended for their involvement in corrupt practices during the tendering of contracts worth million of rupees.
On September 25, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) suspended a “gang of officials”, headed by an environment wing director, which had manipulated at least four contracts during the last year.
The CDA chairman had suspended the quintet— Director Irfan Azeem Khan, Landscape Deputy Director Asghar Ali Zardari, Accounts Officer Safdar Saleem, Divisional Accounts Officer Farhan Sikandar and Cashier Farooq Butt — after it was determined that these officials were involvement in issuing maintenance work tenders to certain parties in violation of Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules.
However, office bearers from the labour union apparently forced the hands of those in power to revoke the suspensions. The officials have since been restored as officers on special duty (OSD).
The four contracts, which were managed unlawfully, did not appear on the PPRA website or at CDA’s own official website —mandatory requirements to ensure healthy competition prior to awarding contracts and to reduce the cost through competitive bidding.
The contracts include construction of a boundary wall around Ladies Park in Sector G-6/1-4, development and maintenance of Children Park in the Prime Minister Staff Colony, maintenance of public toilets in Rose and Jasmine Gardens and provision and installation of steel grills around a public park in Sector G-6/3.
The preliminary inquiry findings against these officials, available with The Express Tribune, show that the development and maintenance contracts were approved in the annual budget plan for the previous financial year.
The findings says that though these work contracts did not appear in the national print media or the CDA or PPRA websites, the officials accused of wrongdoing claimed that all codal formalities including advertising the four contracts were completed.
The findings also state that the tenders were issued by these officers to contractors who have close relationships with them, and in each contract, three to four tender forms were issued to create the impression that tendering was open and competitive.
It adds that the audit officer, who is the financial controller and is empowered to scrutinise the record, failed to discharge his duties by stopping the process and instead opened the tenders, which establishes his connivance in the fraudulent practice.
Due to the failure to advertise these tenders, PPRA rules clearly state that the awards would be declared fraudulent.
Acting on preliminary inquiry findings, CDA Environment Member Mustafain Kazmi had stopped the process and initiated a detailed inquiry and disciplinary action against the officials involved.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2014.
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