Millions of rupees remain unaccounted for as the Sindh auditor-general discovered glitches in the purchase of fertiliser, payment of dues and irregular withdrawal of funds.
The Express Tribune obtained a copy of the agriculture department audit report for the years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 to discover that the department has failed to keep proper records of spending.
According to the report, the Sindh government had approved a food laboratory at Mirpurkhas for Rs51.72 million for five years between 2003 and 2008. About Rs21 million was issued for the lab that would conduct experiments on storage, processing fruits and vegetables and the marketing of produce. The laboratory was also supposed to produce fruits and vegetables, juices, squashes, pickles, jams, jellies and frozen food.
However, since the lab was set up, it was not handed over to the local office and hence never started working. No machine or equipment was installed and even the marketing could not start. “This was pointed out to the department but no reply was received,” said the report.
For his part, agriculture secretary Agha Jan Akhtar explained that the equipment could not be installed in time but the lab has started working. “We have started marketing the products and people are being trained under the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Youth Development Programme.”
According to the director of the Rice Research Institute, Dokri, Larkana district, which is part of the agriculture department, Rs2.13 million was used to buy urea fertiliser and repair machinery and equipment. When the audit team saw the vouchers, it learnt that the receipts from suppliers had the same print pattern, same handwriting and no serial numbers.
The agriculture research director-general said, however, that most of the suppliers had their vouchers printed from the same press in Larkana, where the same type of machine is used. This explains why most vouchers look similar, he added.
The audit reports said that Rs420,872 was withdrawn by the former Agriculture Research Institute of Tando Jam’s oilseed botanist but not a single voucher was found on the record. The office was issued a show-cause notice by the chief secretary but no recovery has been made. “The department has admitted the irregularity but as the relevant officer is out of the country for his PhD, action will be taken after his return,” said the audit officer.
During 2007-2008, contractors failed to pay Rs154 million in auction money, bulldozer charges, etc. This was pointed out to the department in 2009. In reply, the agriculture department said that the contractors had promised to pay soon.
Furthermore, 24 agriculture offices bought various articles for Rs8.62 million between 2007 and 2008 but did not record this in the stock registers. “All materials received should be counted, measured and recorded in the appropriate books but there is no record and despite many reminders the department has not given a proper response,” the audit report said.
Several heads of the department also owe Rs147 million since September 2006. The agriculture department replied that the bulldozers were provided to the irrigation and police departments for an operation against dacoits and they were in the process of recovering them.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2011.
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