ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee, expressing its utter dissatisfaction with the performance of the Ministry of Housing and Works and the Capital Development Authority (CDA), has now decided to summon heads of these two public entities for seeking their explanation for not completing Kurri Road Housing project after the lapse of more than a decade.
Arif Alvi-led subcommittee submitted its report to PAC committee which met here with Opposition Leader Syed Khurshid Shah in the chair to discuss the financial irregularities in the Ministry of Housing and the Ministry of Information Technology. The report says that huge piece of land earmarked for graveyard and community centre have been handed over to a businessman and converging its status from welfare to commercial plot while making a change in the layout plan of the project.
Now a commercial plaza of eight stories is being constructed on the plot. The report says that a local politician-turned businessman has encroached more than nine kanal land with the connivance of the government officers. The project was launched in 2012 in the suburb Kurri area of the capital for providing affordable accommodation on subsidies rates to the senior officers.
The Pakistan Housing Authority Foundation was also created to manage the project under the stewardship of the Housing Ministry. The Public Accounts Committee took cognizance of the delay of this project when audit officer highlighted the inordinate delay that has caused huge financial loss to national exchequer. It formed a two-member committee to probe the project under the chairmanship of MNA Arif Alvi.
The report says that the PHA Foundation created 727 plots and allotted to senior officers while receiving billions of rupees but the plots to the allottees have not been given due to financial irregularities being committed by the management.
The PAC chairman asked the officers concerned that the members of these housing project has trying from pillar to post to receive the plots as they have deposited their hard earned money. He said that the PHA Foundation management was not moving from its traditional red-tapism.
Another special committee formed to probe alleged corruption in the New Islamabad Airport project has submitted its report to PAC which says that the project was hit with massive corruption and inordinate delay which has escalated the cost of the project 200 per cent.
Committee convener Senator Sherry Rehman told the committee that corruption was committed in the project and billions of rupees were embezzled by the element involved in the administration of the project. She also said that the officials at the Civil Aviation Authority and the CAA Board were not cooperative with the committee.
She also told the committee that except escalating the cost of the project from Rs 30 billion to 85 billion, the officers also violated PPRA rules while granting contract to the companies which were closed to the rulers. The committee decided to send this corruption scam with the report of special committee to the National Accountability Bureau for taking action against the responsible person.
