Inquiry launched into Dir fund scandal

Damning report exposes Rs480m flood fund misuse

DIR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Caretaker Minister for Communications and Works Department, Muhammad Ali Shah, reached Dir Upper district along with an inspection team to investigate the Rs480 million embezzlement in flood relief funds in the district.

Taking action on the news story carried by The Express Tribune, the minister constituted a special investigation team and reached the district.

The team will investigate the matter thoroughly and fix responsibility after which the findings will be sent to the provincial government for further action.

The minister emphasized a zero-tolerance approach towards the misuse of public funds through embezzlement. He vowed that both the officials from the Construction and Works Department involved in corrupt practices, as well as the contractors implicated, would face severe consequences. It was made clear that political affiliation would hold no sway in the forthcoming actions against those found responsible.

The minister himself inspected all the roads in Dir to Kohistan washed away by last year’s floods. He showed his displeasure over the sorry state of the road infrastructure in the district.

“It is very unfortunate that such large emergency funds have been embezzled in my home division. This is not substandard work it is something else,” he said.

He assured that the matter would be thoroughly investigated.

Background

An investigation into the 2022 flood relief fund in Dir Upper district has unveiled rampant embezzlement on a large scale.

The inquiry committee has recommended blacklisting the construction firms involved, recovering Rs360 million, and taking strict departmental action against the corrupt officials.

According to official sources, the federal government allocated funds to rehabilitate roads after the devastating floods in 2022. However, it has been discovered that these funds were misused, as 40 steel bridges approved by the government are nowhere to be found.

Last year’s floods wreaked havoc on the tourism sector in Dir Upper, causing significant losses. Roads leading to popular destinations such as Kalkot, Shringal, Tehsil Larjam, and Wari were washed away, cutting off several mountainous villages from the rest of the district.

The Construction and Works Department of Dir Upper issued tenders worth Rs470 million for 22 projects using the emergency funds provided by the federal government. However, it has now come to light that substandard materials were used in the construction, and many of the projects were left incomplete.

The inquiry committee, formed by the provincial government under the deputy commissioner, has recommended stern action against the corrupt officials and contractors involved.

Imran Saeed Muhammad Zai, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) General Secretary for Dir Upper, highlighted that contractors submitted bills for areas unaffected by the floods and received payment for bridges that were never even built.

This scandalous revelation calls for urgent measures to rectify the situation and hold those responsible accountable for their actions.

Official sources said that the deputy commissioner submitted an inquiry report against the officials in order to prevent NAB from taking action in the case.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2023.