Don’t reopen projects closed after devolution: PAC

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday directed the Ministry of Food Security and Research not to open the closed project after the devolution of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to the provinces.
The meeting of the PAC was held with its chairman Nadeem Afzal Gondal in the chair at the Parliament House.
The committee looked over the matters audit objections over the Ministry of Food Security and Research during 2004-05 and 2006-07.
The committee directed the Ministry of Food Security and Research to stop selling vehicles to officers of grade 20 and 21 of its subordinate departments and take the vehicles back from the officers who had bought these during the last 2 years.
The PAC ordered the authorities to get back salaries and other perks from former PASCO general manager Brig Parvez Akbar who enjoyed a two-year extension in the job without any approval. The committee also ordered appointment of a scientist as chairman of Pakistan Agricultural and Research Council.
The PAC chairman stated that some officers were trying to reopen closed projects, adding the closed projects which were closed after the dissolution of ministries to the provinces should not be reopened.
The committee ordered the secretary to form a committee comprising its 3 officers, Khizar Hayat Khan, Malik Zahoor and Basit Ali Khan to investigate the matter for identifying the officers who got governmental vehicles.
The PAC was informed that land was sold to the United States embassy for the construction of a consulate in Karachi in 2005 at lower rates, which caused the ministry a loss of Rs 11.819 million.
The authorities of the ministry stated that the US embassy had given the price of land to Karachi Port Trust (KPT), but the KPT had not handed over that money to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture so far.
The authorities told the PAC that the then prime minister and the president had approved the grant of land to the US consulate. The PAC ordered the secretary to resolve the issue within one month after consulting the departments concerned.
The PAC was informed that Pakistan Agriculture and Research Council (PARC) had bought defence saving certificates worth more than Rs 30 million despite having no mandate to do so. The PAC ordered the ministry to probe the matter and submit a report within one month.