ACE books officials for fraud in drainage project

In 2018, engineers complained about payment irregularities in RBOD-II scheme

KARACHI: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has registered four FIRs for the alleged fraud of Rs4.4 billion in the Right Bank Outfall Drain-II (RBOD-II) project, on the directives of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. Chief Engineer Munawar Bozdar and 20 other officers are nominated.

The RBOD-II scheme was planned to carry the drainage waste of RBOD-I in the sea without polluting freshwater sources. It was initiated in 2003 with a budget of Rs14 billion, which was later adjusted to Rs29.217 billion and then revised to Rs61.985 billion.

On November 12, 2018, engineers submitted a complaint levelling charged of irregularities in payment. After an irrigation department inquiry, the matter was referred to the anti-corruption department.

ACE discovered that payments made against 'flood emergent works' amounting to Rs4.482 billion were bogus. The inquiry also revealed that the standard operating procedures for bill verification was not followed, whereas no provision had been made in the budget for flood damage expenditures.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2020.