The Punjab government is all set to initiate proceedings against Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) officials involved in corruption during the previous regime and a committee has been constituted in this regard, Pakistan Today learnt on Monday.
Per details, the committee consisting of Food Minister Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor, Law Secretary Abul Hassan Najmi, Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) DG Abid Javaid and Prosecution Secretary Muhammad Amlish would examine audit reports compiled in 2008. Sources privy to the development said irregularities to the tune of Rs 1 billion had been discovered in the audit reports of TMAs across Punjab until 2008, adding that the committee has been tasked with initiating proceedings against officials involved in the embezzlement.
Giving details of a few audit paragraphs, sources revealed that the Hasan Abdal TMA nazim and naib nazim drew Rs 10 million from the exchequer in 2006 to purchase a piece of land, but the land was never purchased and the money was not returned.
In Jhang, 12 citizen community boards (CCBs) embezzled more than Rs 12 million in the name of development.
In Taxila TMA in Rawalpindi, more than Rs 22 million were misappropriated by spending the amount on schemes which did not actually exist on the ground.
However, a senior government said the purpose of the entire exercise was a “bashing” of the previous regime and highlighting its corruption, instead of initiating any concrete action, as the audit reports were compiled back in 2008. The official further said the issue came to the surface in the past also but the tehsil councils met and got transparency certificates from the audit officers concerned.
