ISLAMABAD – Around Rs 27 million of the public exchequer was used for fuel and maintenance of 53 vehicles and inland tours of the top officials of the Ministry of Environment during 2008-10, the Upper House was told on Friday. According to details, over Rs 8 million were spent on fuel and more than Rs 3 million on maintenance of 53 vehicles of the main ministry, which excludes all attached departments, during 2008-9, while over Rs 8.5 million was spent on fuel and Rs 4 million on the maintenance of the said vehicles of the ministry during 2009-10. It was revealed that Rs 2 million was spent in 2008-09 and Rs 1.5 million during 2009-10 on the inland tours of the officials the main ministry, which again excludes the attached departments.
Moreover, the Senate was also informed that around Rs 3,610 million were allocated in 2008-09 under PSDP for Sindh and of which Rs 2,917 million were utilised for roads in the province. The House was also told that in 2009-10 around Rs 8,810 million under PSDP were allocated and Rs 7,545 million were spent on various projects by the National Highway Authority (NHA) in the province. The House was further informed that in 2010-11, the total allocation for various projects of NHA in Sindh under PSDP was around Rs 4,643 million, but it was revised and at present stood at Rs 2,689 million.
Meanwhile, senators from Balochistan raised a hue and cry when the House was told in a written reply that around 141 people had been given employment in the Ministry of Environment since July 2008 and total 1,089 people were working with the ministry, including its attached departments, but only three people of these were domiciled from Balochistan. The protesting senators told the chairman that merit policy had been violated in the recruitment and the matter should be referred to committee concerned. In a reply to another question, the House was informed that around 5.5 million Pakistani people were living abroad. Raising objection to the answer, Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmed said the figures were wrong as round figures had been given in the category of each country in the country-wise break-up.
The Senate chairman directed the minister concerned to come up with fresh data today.
