Despite multiple inquiries, the Punjab government has yet to take action against 12 officials of the irrigation department, found guilty of misappropriating over Rs400 million during construction of three small dams in Attock district.
The officials have been accused of financial irregularities by two committees constituted by the irrigation department, a hearing officer appointed by Sharif and at a regular inquiry conducted by three senior officers, an official said.
Of the accused officials, two have been ‘honourably retried’ while the others continue to serve on ‘lucrative’ posts, the official added. Construction work on the dams, meanwhile, hangs in balance.
In-house enquiries
Three small dams were planned by the irrigation and power department at a total cost of Rs404.38 million. With the contract awarded in March 2008, work on the projects was assigned to small dam division, Islamabad and stipulated to be completed in two years. The assignment was handed over to the development division-VI after complaints over slow pace of work and corruption. In January 2010, the new contractor pointed out severe financial irregularities and use of sub-standard material in civil work carried out on the dam sites.
A committee constituted by the irrigation department to verify the allegations endorsed the discrepancies pointed out by the contractor. A second committee formed to ensure the authenticity of the charges also endorsed the first committee’s findings.
The irrigation secretary visited the site in March 2010 and observed that the project was ill-planned, and its scope and design were altered by the accused officials without formal approvals. A summary was subsequently sent to the chief minister for initiation of regular inquiry and disciplinary action against the 12 officers held responsible.
In the chief minister’s court
Notices were served to accused after the chief minister’s approval and a hearing was conducted on the chief minister’s behalf. Based on the first hearing, Sharif appointed another committee to conduct a regular enquiry. The second committee recommended major penalty and removal from service of two officials, Afzal Anjum Toor and Chaudhry Nisar Ahmed, and action against the remaining 10 officials. The committee also recommended recovering the embezzled funds from the accused officials.
The irrigation department then sent another summary to the chief minister for approval to take action, said the official, but the chief minister turned that down and appointed Haseeb Athar for a second hearing in the case.
Delaying the process
Toor, one of the principal accused, admitted to embezzlement in the project outlay, but insisted he should not have been the main accused. He added that complaints of usage of sub-standard materials in construction were also true. The chief minister, however, does not appear to be convinced.
Action would be initiated against the accused after the second hearing, said a senior official from the irrigation department.
Haseeb Athar would present the final recommendations to the chief minister, based on which the accused officials could be prosecuted once the orders are issued, secretary irrigation department Irfan Elahi said.
Regarding posting of some of the accused on top slots, Elahi said they are not yet convicted but would be removed if the chief minister approves prosecution against them.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 13th, 2011.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ