Ministry of Petroleum has set up an inquiry committee under the Director General Special Projects Saeed Ullah Shah to fix responsibility on officials of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) who withheld sharing of internal inquiry reports on seven audit paras with the National Assembly Standing Committee on Petroleum on February 01.
An official source said that the committee will soon proceed with the inquiry to fix responsibility on officials and recommend disciplinary action against them. The committee was so perturbed with the blatant refusal of OGDCL officers that it expelled the company’s senior management from the meeting.
The committee has sought internal inquiry reports on seven audit paras for three fiscal years of 2003-04, 2004-05, and 2007-08. Acting MD OGDCL Basharat Mirza had said that they did not prepare sets of the confidential reports but if the members insist they would be provided during the meeting. The members said there was no issue of confidentiality as these were audit irregularities. Additional Secretary Ministry of Petroleum Naeem Malik had said that there was no issue of confidentiality in the inquiry reports. He assured the committee that the ministry will hold an inquiry to ascertain those responsible for hiding facts. The committee had directed holding of an inquiry and action within three days against the responsible. Details sought were on unnecessary purchase of chemical worth Rs 55.1 million and loss of Rs 5.6 million on account of its sale below cost price, loss of Rs 10.1 million due to negligence of Enar Petrotech Services in execution of the Kunnar LPG project, irregular hiring of a consultant in violation of board’s decision on Rs 280,000, appointment of 22 officers without observing codal formalities which caused loss of Rs 65.1 million, loss due to procurement of defective man portable drill 30 meter worth Rs 49.6 million, irregular appointment of executive director human resource Rs 16.8 million, irregular appointment of part-time consultant and payment of remuneration of Rs 4.8 million.
Later addressing a press conference, Chairman Sardar Talib Hassan Nakai said the OGDCL management deliberately tried to hide facts from the committee. He said that the parliament was supreme and officials were bound under the law to answer various queries of the members. He said the committee will complete its findings in the irregularities. He regretted that he had twice written letters to the Prime Minister seeking time to inform him about the sorry state of affairs in the state owned oil and gas sector but the premier had not even bothered to reply to him.
