Mini-Hajj scam: CDA takes cue from federal government

Private tour operator illegally hired in 2010 to facilitate agency staff.

ISLAMABAD:

Why should top bureaucrats and politicos be the only ones profiting from Hajj scams?

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) finds itself embroiled in another controversy as officials were found to have committed several rule violations with regard to the civic agency’s Hajj programme.

A senior CDA official requesting anonymity recently unearthed a number of illegalities and Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) violations committed by his colleagues over the past three years in connivance with CDA Employees Union office bearers and a private tour operator.

An unexplained increase in the number of employees chosen for the CDA’s Hajj programme is at the heart of the problem.

“It is simple. An increase in the number of employees means greater monetary benefits in terms of commissions,” said the CDA official privy to developments.



In 2010, following repeated demands by union representatives, the CDA decided to hire the services of a private tour operator after separating its Hajj programme from the Religious Affairs ministry.

The private tour operator, Travel Valley, is a well-known citizen of Islamabad who contested this year’s elections from one of Islamabad’s two constituencies as an independent candidate, although he eventually lost.

While the CDA charter states that the civic agency will only bear Hajj expenses for a maximum of three employees each Hajj, the number has consistently increased every time since the tour operator was hired.

The number of employees selected for the programme increased from three in 2009 to 10 in 2010, 15 in 2011, 20 in 2012 and 31 in 2013. The 31st individual selected for the progamme is a family member of a female CDA employee, who insisted on having a mehram (spouse or male relative) accompany her.

PPRA rules state that all projects exceeding Rs200,000 in value must be properly advertised, with firms being selected after a competitive bidding process. The CDA violated the rules on both counts, as this year’s Hajj programme is expected to cost around Rs14 million, while the private tour operator was hired without advertising or tendering.

“It is not as if the tour operator’s services are unmatchable. CDA employees who have performed Hajj within the last three years registered a plethora of complaints over the operator’s poor arrangements in Saudi Arabia,” said a senior civic agency official.

The complaints echo those of people who lost out due to the federal level Hajj scam in 2010.

He contended that it would make sense if the CDA had the resources and finances to send its employees for Hajj. “The CDA sells its land to pay off its employees’ monthly salaries. Its accounts are empty. Its electricity is suspended every now and then over nonpayment of dues. Despite this, the number of Hajis continues to increase every year,” the official said.

CDA Spokesperson Malik Saleem could not be reached despite several attempts to contact him.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2013.