The Anti-Corruption Department on Saturday registered two more cases against officials of the Irrigation Department for stealing from funds for post-flood renovations and repair.
The officials are accused of embezzling millions of rupees from funds allocated for filling breaches made in the DG Khan Canal during floods and a project in Shoriah Dasti.
An Anti-Corruption Department spokesman told newsmen that the department had completed its inquiry and had registered cases against the officials after finding them guilty.
Mir Shafiq Awan, a resident of Dera Ghazi Khan, had lodged a complaint against officers of the Irrigation Department, saying breaches had been made at 109 sites in the DG Khan Canal during the floods.
However, the officials claimed 289 breaches and received payments accordingly.
He said it was later found that some of these breaches had been filled by Pakistan Army, who had used their own machinery and equipment.
“The Irrigation Department officers thus received payments for the work done by Pakistan Army,” he said.
He said after the inquiry was completed, the department registered cases against five officers: Liaquat Ali Khan, SDO Sheikh Abdul Ahad, Bashir Ahmad, Juma Khan and Abdul Aziz.
Shafiq Awan told reporters that the inquiry had proved that he was right.
He demanded action against corrupt officers of the Irrigation Department. He said that they should be taken into custody.
In the second case, a man accused some Irrigation Department officers of embezzling millions of rupees in the earth work on both sides of the canal.
He said the contract had been given to a private firm.
He said the contractor lifted earth from Shorba Dasti but claimed that he had brought it several kilometres away. He also did not complete the work but received the payment.
The contractor received payments for the work along with some officials of the Irrigation Department.
Earlier, Irrigation Department employees, including former operations chief engineer Chaudhry Shafiq, Chief Engineer Nazir Ahmad, Executive Engineer Hafiz Muhammad Naeem, were found guilty of embezzling public funds in the construction of a civil station after an inquiry against them was completed by the Anti-Corruption Department. Cases were registered against them.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 2nd, 2014.
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