TEPA chief engineer to be shown the door

Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA) Chief Engineer Saeed Akhtar, spearheading Punjab Mega project ‘Metro Bus’ that is a dream of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, is doomed to be sacked in corruption case. After being forced to retire, he would have to face 10 percent deduction in his pension in line with the case of former LDA chief engineer Abdul Rab who had to face forced retirement with 10 percent cut in his pension in the similar corruption case.
All procedural measures have been taken to show him the door after the enquiry proved him to be involved in embezzlement in construction of LDA office building (Block IV and V) at MA Johar Town. Enquiry headed by then LDA ADG Hafiz Ahsan Ul Haq (Headquarter) was initiated on the strong recommendations of Chief Minister Inspection Team (CMIT) to trace out irregularities and funds misappropriations in the construction of LDA building.
Sources revealed that LDA DG Ahed Cheema had sent the corruption case to Director Administration Khalid Pervaiz as a final step and TEPA Chief Engineer Saeed Akhtar would be forced retried in couple of days. Sources said Chief Minister’s Inspection Team observed various irregularities in the project of construction of LDA Office Building (Block IV and V) in Johar Town executed by the Engineering Wing of LDA.
Enquiry began under orders of Director General, LDA vide No LDA/ADMN/ENQ/O&M/3895/1334 dated 26-05-2011 (F/A) to proceed against Abdul Rab, deputy director (Engineering), the then chief engineer Saeed Akhtar, Ijaz Kausar and Ahmad Nawaz, Directors Buildings-1, Asad Abbas Jaffary, Deputy Director (Engineering), the then Director (EME), Iqbal Javaid, Deputy Director Buildings-1, Zaheer Ahmad Khan Niazi and Ajmal Khan, Assistant Directors Building-1 Ikram-ur-Rehman Assistant Director (Electrical), Ihsan Elahi and Waseem Ghauri, Sub-Engineers(Electrical), LDA under Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act, 2006 and to conduct a regular enquiry on the charges of inefficiency, misconduct and corruption narrated as under: CMIT report laid bare the facts that during construction of construction off LDA Office Building (Block IV and V) in Johar Town many discrepancies involving corruption and mismanagement were found: Report said the work was intentionally split into three parts to keep it within the approving power of the DG LDA to avoid its due scrutiny by the designated authority/competent forum and the technical sanction was accorded by adding up three approvals to award the work for the full amount in violation of financial rules/codal formalities. “Rs 83.561 million were released to the contractor against his contract agreement amounting to Rs 75.146 million without approval of the competent authority. Ten percent performance security was NOT OBTAINED from the contractor as required under the rules thus giving undue financial benefit to him. High rates were offered to the contractor for providing fixing steel jungla grill on boundary wall,” report disclosed.
It was observed that two Administrative Approvals for the same project were accorded on the same day, i.e. on February 15, 2010 and the third approval for the same project was accorded on February 17, 2010, which were got approved separately to keep them within the competency of the Director General LDA (Rs 25 million), which is a gross violation of financial and codal formalities.
It is pertinent to mention here that a note was initiated by TEPA chief engineer and then LDA director building Saeed Akhter, on March 9, 2010 (F/Q) with the request that the Director General LDA may kindly allow to consolidate all the three Administrative Approvals for the purpose of calling single tender whereas the available record reveals that the Technical Sanction amounting to Rs.73,615,800/- already stood issued by Ch Abdul Rab, the then chief engineer, LDA vide NO.CE/LDA/PS/95 dated February 18, 2010 (F/R) by consolidating all the three Administrative Approvals without obtaining approval from the competent forum. Subsequently the tenders were called and opened on March 3, 2010 (F/S). The record further reveals that the Director General LDA was kept in dark by both Abdul Rab, the then Chief Engineer and Saeed Akhter the then Director Buildings with malafide intention and ulterior motives.
Enquiry said that administrative Approvals had already been consolidated by Ch Abdul Rab the then Chief Engineer in the Technical Sanction issued by him on February 18, 2010 for opening tenders on March 3, 2010. The DG on March 11, 2010 approved the fictitious proposal initiated by the then buildings director and endorsed by the then chief engineer. “Thus both the officers misled the DG intentionally giving bogus statement to get regularised their unlawful act of firstly splitting the tender of the same project into three administrative approvals to keep it within the competency of the DG, LDA and to avoid its due scrutiny by the designated authority /competent forum and then forwarding the request for consolidating all the three approvals for Technical Sanction on March 9, 2010 whereas the so-called consolidated Technical Sanction had already been issued on February 18, 2010 by Ch Abdul Rab, the then LDA chief engineer, himself and the tenders also stood opened on March 3, 2010. This act on the part of both the accused officers viz Abdul Rab, Muhammad Saeed Akhtar, the then buildings director was tantamount to hoodwinking the director general LDA/chief executive of the organisation. Thus, the charges of inefficiency, misconduct and corruption stand fully established against Abdul Rab, the then chief engineer and Saeed Akhtar, the then buildings directors,” enquiry said.
Enquiry further recommended that Saeed Akhter, may be awarded major penalty of “Compulsory Retirement” under Section 4(1) (b) (iv) of PEEDA Act 2006.