1,200 acres of PQA land under encroachment, PAC panel told

A subcommittee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) reviewed the audit objections of the maritime affairs ministry for 2014-15 and received a briefing from the audit officials on the issue of encroachment of land belonging to the Port Qasim Authority (PQA).

The meeting, chaired by its convener Manaza Hassan, was informed that 1,200 acres of the PQA land had been occupied illegally and that the matter was already in the court. The committee directed the maritime affairs ministry to look into the matter.

The committee convener told the maritime affairs secretary that the PQA had such a valuable piece of land. “If you had known, you would not have allowed any encroachment,” she said. “We will wait for the court’s decision.”

Audit officials also pointed to irregularities in the purchase of dredger by the PQA. The maritime affairs secretary said that the audit went to a website and looked at the price of the dredger and compared it with the price of the PQA’s dredger.

However, the audit officials insisted that the price was not the only issue, as there were irregularities in the tendering process also. The PQA chairman told the committee that the dredger had greatly benefited the PQA and the maritime affairs ministry.

As the matter was already with the NAB, the committee sought report from the graft-buster within 90 days. Some audit objections were also settled in the meeting. The maritime affairs secretary informed the committee that the Gwadar East Bay Highway would be operational by October 2021.