Accounting watchdog: Irrigation officials put poor performance on time when there were no floods

The most corrupt departments: irrigation, police, revenue, says PAC chief.

KARACHI: The irrigation, police and revenue departments are the most corrupt arms of the Sindh government and therefore a source of ignominy to the government.

Recording these observations during a meeting on Wednesday, the government watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) described the irrigation department’s performance in particular as “dismal”. PAC chief Jam Tamachi Unar regretted that even though they had written to the chief minister and chief secretary so that they could act against corrupt officials, nothing has happened.

“The bureaucrats are not taking our meetings seriously,” Unar said.
Not only bureaucrats, but even ministers don’t bother to attend PAC meetings. Out of Rs2.17 billion only Rs158 million has been recovered from irrigation officials since 2006.

One of the solutions, suggested Audit DG Ghulam Akbar Sohu, is to take back their powers to draw and disburse money.

Sohu brought up concerns from 2006 to 2009, when Rs589 million was not recovered. The secretary of irrigation, Khalid Hyder Memon, made the excuse that they were busy with rescue and relief work and therefore couldn’t pay proper attention to getting the money back. “I request you to please give us at least two years, so that we can adjust the accounts,” he said.

A member of the PAC, Shama Mithani, asked whether the officials have managed to get any money back before the floods hit. “Your excuse of the floods and disaster is not fair,” she said. “We want to know the progress of your department from 2006 to 2009, when there was no flood.”

The secretary replied: “I accept the guilt; there has been a dismal performance of our department.”

DG Sohu brought up other 30- to 40-year-old points but here the secretary said that most of the records was burnt on the day Benazir Bhutto was assassinated.

Unar said that irrigation officials were involved in water tampering and diverting flows to influential people by shutting the gates of many canals to leave dry tail-end growers. “The irrigation department is toeing the line of Wapda, which is the most corrupt and irresponsible department,” he commented.

While trying to clarify his position, Agha Eijaz, chief engineer of the Sukkur Barrage, said there had been a law and order situation in some areas where officials could not go to monitor the water flow.

Encroachment

MPA Amir Moin Pirzada inquired about the encroachment removal work along the rivers that was supposed to be done by the irrigation department. The secretary said that they been working to remove the barriers, but some of it was not possible as many towns, building and even government offices have been set up on water bodies.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2011.