The federal audit authorities have expressed concern over the inordinate delay in the finalisation of pre-qualification process in the construction of a new fruit and vegetable market at Sangjani. The audit authorities expressed this concern in the 2010-2011 audit report.
The audit officials observed that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had not finalised the prequalification process of bidders by August 2010 despite a lapse of two and a half years. A source said a senior official of the CDA caused this delay because the directorate concerned of the authority had not awarded the project to his desired construction company during the first bidding.
Pakistan Today learned through a source that the directorate concerned of CDA has responded to the audit objection by claiming that it would soon re-advertise the prequalification of the project. A call for parties interested in the Sangjani fruit and vegetable market project was advertised in the on 7/9/2009, against which seven firms had applied. The proposals sent by these firms were discussed and evaluated by the steering committee but none of the firms was prequalified by the committee.
It was then decided that the project would be readvertised in the EOI and the local press, and the commercial attaché would be approached for international advertisement. The draft EOI has since been submitted for the approval of the chairman CDA, but the board not yet approved the re advertising of the project due to the influence of a CDA senior official.
Pakistan Today has learnt that this official, after holding up the project for so long, has now sent the file of the project to the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) and informed the DMA that the project will be executed only after the improvement of CDA’s financial position. A source revealed that the audit report clarifies that the project was to be executed by the provision of 53 acres of land near Sangjani in sector D-18, Islamabad on a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis.
Due to the non completion of a timely prequalification of firms, the cost of the project has increased and the valuable land marked for the project is at risk from unauthorized land grabbers. Audit authorities also pointed out an unjustified payment made to the consultancy firm M/S engineering associates, hired by the CDA as design consultants for the new fruit and vegetable market at Sangjani. The report also highlighted mismanagement carried out by this firm.
Sources said that the consultant has designed the market on a modern basis, inclusive of a proper cold storage system, warehouses, ice factories, refrigerated trailers, growers exhibition area, packing facilities, weighing bridges, trading halls, a small automobile workshop and auction platforms. The market will also include a mosque, restaurants, public toilets and an administrative block with a conference room. According to the design the new market will have an integrated solid waste management system and eventually petrol pumps and CNG stations will be established.
