Sept 02 , 2015
News
PAC concerned over delay in overseas Pakistanis’ housing schemes
Online
ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly has recommend severe punishments for those responsible for not completing the housing scheme for overseas Pakistanis in Islamabad, despite an increase in its expenditure from Rs 600 million to Rs 2.4 billion.The meeting of the PAC, chaired by its Convener Naveed Qamar, was held on Tuesday. The chairman expressed grave concerns on the absence of the population secretary in the meeting and ordered to ensure his presence in the next meeting.
While responding to the objections raised in the audit report regarding the non-completion of housing schemes for overseas Pakistanis, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis secretary told PAC that the housing scheme for overseas Pakistanis in Islamabad was launched in 1996 in Islamabad zone-V and its contract was awarded to Messers Karkun construction company through minimum auction of Rs 600 million, but unfortunately this file was not approved by the federal minister despite remaining it on the table for more than one year.
The secretary said that this housing scheme was tendered three times but the board of governors did not give its approval and finally this contract was awarded to the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) in 2008 against the worth of Rs 2.4 billion and a task to complete it by 2011, but it has not been completed so far.He said it is hoped that plots would be allotted to all allottees by the end of this year.
The Overseas Pakistanis managing director said that no government delegation had visited abroad during the last five years for the purpose of sending Pakistanis on foreign jobs.The committee expressed grave concern over the misuse of billion of rupees of Employees Old Age Benefit Institutions (EOBI) and investments made in the stock exchange and other development projects.
The committee also expressed its concern over the illegal occupants on the residential colonies of the Workers Welfare Board and directed the concerned authorities to vacate them. The committee directed the officials in the meeting to send the cases of corrupt officials to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk