The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) paid extra allowances and financial benefits amounting to Rs 36.203 million to its officers, including educationists, without approval from competent authority.
The Auditor General of Pakistan in its report for 2011-12 has revealed that PTA management paid financial benefits to its officers violating the Finance Division (Regulation wing) OM No (15) R-4/04 dated January 17 in which it has been stated that existing allowances should be merged with the new basic pay hence would cease to be admissible upon introduction of new pay scales, except those allowances which have been shown in new pay scales, or any other allowance, which the competent authority may approve from time to time with the occurrence of finance division.
The report revealed that Rs 9,749,785 was paid for recreation leave salary, Rs 7,565,490 for 41,355-car allowance and Rs 10,652,982 paid under qualification incentive.
Another amount of Rs 8,235,075 was paid for general purpose loan.
The audit report observed that recreation leave salary and general purpose loan was granted in violation of finance division’s instructions. These schemes were not approved from the competent forum even from the administrative ministry. As regards car allowance and qualification incentives, these were not welfare allowances but part and parcel of the pay as a regular allowance and these allowances were not approved from the finance division.
In another case, the PTA paid advance house rent amounting to Rs 3.407 million for the period of twelve months to its officers during the year 2010-11. This advance amount of rent was in violation of the pay package of PTA. The audit report also observed that in some cases payment was made more of Rs 300,000, but income tax was not deducted at source.
PTA authorities were of the view that PTA allowed the house requisition facility to its employees at the rate of house rent allowance, hence no irregularity was committed at the part of PTA.