Parliament Lodges: Court orders cancellation of furniture contract

CDA chief blames lawmakers’ haste over dubious deal.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday cancelled a contract for supplying furniture to the Parliament Lodges declaring it to be against the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) Rules.

Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui cancelled the contract of General Furniture, which supplied furniture to the housing facility for parliamentarians, after the Capital Development Authority (CDA) awarded the contract to the firm.

The decision came in response to a petition filed by Burhan Furniture, which challenged the contract saying it was awarded in violation of government rules. The petitioner’s counsel informed the court that the Rs60 million contract was awarded in a non-transparent manner.

The counsel then requested the court to suspend it.

At the last date of hearing, the court had summoned chairman CDA. When the authority’s chief, Maroof Afzal, appeared on Friday, he admitted that the contract was awarded without an open bidding owing to ‘pressure from lawmakers to provide them furniture immediately’.

Justice Siddiqui, while canceling the contract, directed Afzal to re-award it in a transparent manner and in compliance with PPRA Rules. The judge also expressed annoyance regarding the state of affairs in CDA and observed that the civic agency has been making appointments and transfers under the pressure of the National Assembly’s deputy speaker.

While referring to the appointment of deputy director land in CDA, the court observed that the official was appointed on the post by giving bribe of Rs8 million which must be checked by the senior officials of the authority.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2015.