ISLAMABAD: A house committee of the National Assembly on Thursday took notice of the payment of Rs90 million made to a contractor in violation of rules and directed the deputy commissioner, Islamabad, to verify the land purchased by the present administration of the NA Employees Cooperative Housing Society.
The members of the NA House and Library Committee, which met under Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, reviewed the report of the subcommittee that was constituted in December last year, to probe the reported “mismanagement and financial irregularities” in the NA Employees Cooperative Housing Society.
According to an official handout, the deputy speaker expressed his reservations on the decisions taken by the society administration regarding award of “development contract” to a contractor without getting NOC (no objection certificate) and approval of the layout plan by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and without advertisement.
Mr Kundi questioned as to why the society’s management paid Rs90 million to the contractor without fulfilling the procedural requirements.
The senior officials of the society’s administration claimed that all procedural requirements in the award of contract and purchase of land were fulfilled and the contract was awarded only after the approval of the general body of the society and the registrar.
The committee members, however, rejected the claim and directed the administrator to substantiate it with the documentary evidence in the next meeting.
The deputy speaker warned that strict action would be taken if any irregularity was revealed during the course of investigation.
The committee directed the deputy commissioner, Islamabad, Amir Ahmed Ali Khan, and the circle registrar of the cooperatives Islamabad to examine the purchase and possession of the land acquired for the society.
In December last, a two-member sub-committee was constituted under PML-N MNA Anjum Aqeel to examine matters pertaining to the purchase of land, accounts of the NA Employees Cooperative Housing Society and appointment of administrator.
In the previous meeting, the deputy commissioner had informed the committee members that the new management had purchased 104 kanals with the average price of Rs916,000 per kanal and had started development on 450 kanals. He also informed the members that 927 kanals were in possession of the society.
The committee was of the view that the hard-earned savings of the society members had been stuck-up for the last 25 years but the ICT administration had not taken any positive step to make the society functional.
Thursday’s meeting was attended by MNAs Belum Hasnain, Saira Afzal Tarar, Anjum Aqeel Khan, Shagufta Sadiq, Noor Alam Khan, Haider Ali Shah, Shaukatullah and Asiya Nasir.
Source: Dawn
Date:2/12/2010
