–WASA Director Abdul Kareem, sub-engineer Hamza, Ichra SDO Zahid Hussain, Ichra XEN Sufiyan Habib, sub-engineer Amir Tufail and sub engineer Usama under investigation
–Cash was allegedly misappropriated through non-existent labour work, illegal contracts and use of substandard construction material
LAHORE: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Lahore has initiated an inquiry against Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) officials upon the allegations of misuse of powers by allotting work to blue-eyed vendors, Pakistan Today learnt on Monday.
According to sources privy to the matter, an applicant Mushtaq Chaudhary has lodged an application with the ACE director against the Allama Iqbal Town WASA Director Abdul Kareem and sub-engineer Hamza.
“Both of these officials are looting the public money and awarding work to their blue-eyed vendors for personal benefits. The officers take vendors on board with the understanding that the vendors, after getting work orders, would give quotes to officers who would then carry out the work on their own whereas the vendors do not work despite taking money,” the complainant alleged in his application.
The applicant also alleged that only the vendors who pay handsome amounts to officers get work whereas all the work is limited to paperwork and nothing is done on ground.
He added that the concerned sub-divisional officer (SDO) and XEN are helpless as they are involved in the filing procedure and thus the officers get their signs done on the files and important paper.
The applicant also claimed that the corruption of the two WASA officers would be revealed if their progress from January 2019 to August 2019 was checked.
The applicant while providing references about vendors from whom Abdul Kareem and Hamza had taken money, named Ahmed Enterprises from whom cash against 31 slips has been taken and MMI Traders from whom cash against 55 slips was taken without any slip being issued.
Further, the applicant also revealed that cash was taken for a building’s whitewash from NB builders but no such work was carried out.
Similarly, a huge amount was taken in cash from MMI Traders for repairing a tube well pump of Mustafa Town whereas the pump was already functioning properly.
Another similar application is against Ichra WASA’s staff officials who have been accused of taking money for repairing of sewerage systems in many areas while they remained in the same debilitating condition they were in before the repair work.
Similarly, substandard material was used in sewerage work also carried out in Data Ganj Buksh Road, Rasool Park, Shah Kamal Street, Ahmed Street, Sher Afghan Street and Yousaf Street.
The applicant claimed that Ichra WASA SDO Zahid Hussain and Ichra XEN Sufiyan Habib, sub-engineer Amir Tufail and sub-engineer Usama are actively involved in corruption and causing regular losses to the national exchequer.
Meanwhile, ACE Assistant Director (AD) Rana Asif Noor has started an inquiry against all accused including Zahid Hussain, Sufiyan Habib, Amir Tufail, Usama, Abdul Kareem and Hamza.
On the other hand, WASA Director Abdul Kareem denied the allegations against him and his colleagues. “All these allegations are baseless and they are not involved in any kind of corruption,” he said when contacted by this scribe.
