NA body orders third-party audit of PTDC’s leased buildings

Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat opposes proposed ‘chamber of tourism complex’

ISLAMABAD:

The National Assembly's Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on Tuesday ordered a third-party audit of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC)’s leased-out properties and buildings.

During the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government in 2021, the PTDC leased out several properties and buildings in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and all four provinces to clear its liabilities. The PTDC had laid off thousands of employees without offering them any monetary benefits.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat’s meeting was chaired by Ghulam Ali Talpur. The committee mandated a third-party audit of the PTDC buildings and other properties that have been leased out.

The committee opposed PTDC's proposed chamber of tourism complex. Committee member Muhammad Sajjad said the rest of PTDC's hotels, motels and rest houses remain closed. He said that the PTDC closed old rest houses, and laid off the employees.

He said that motels and guest houses owned by the PTDC should be protected against privatisation. In the guise of privatisation, he said a few individuals will acquire valuable government properties for a pittance. He said that 19 PTDC buildings in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and five buildings in Punjab have been closed down.

 PTDC officials claimed that transparency had been ensured during the leasing out the PTDC properties and buildings. They said that Rs700 million had been lost before leasing out the properties, and a profit was generated after leasing the properties.

 After the briefing, the committee ordered a third-party audit of the privatised PTDC buildings including motels and rest houses.

 According to the committee's chairman, the audit will investigate whether or not the buildings and properties that were closed or leased out actually suffered losses.

The meeting also reviewed the Civil Servants Amendment Bill 2021. Mohsin Dawar said that the proposal suggested by him should be included to pass the law. The committee unanimously passed the bill with amendments.

The committee also reviewed PSDP recommendations from the Cabinet Division for the fiscal years 2023–24. The committee opposed the Establishment Division’s construction projects for the fiscal year 2023–2024. The projects were postponed until the next fiscal year.

 Committee member Muhammad Sajjad said that “don't build mansions for officials and instead, provide the people with water projects.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2023.