ISLAMABAD: The PAC held its meeting on Wednesday with Syed Khursheed Shah in chair. The agenda included, inter alia, to examine audit paras relating to Ministry of Water and Power (MoWP) for the year 2013-14.
However, on the one hand the file of Nandipur was stuck up in the Law Ministry for two and a half years, on the other hand, the NAB took almost three years for inquiry into the scam, which is still incomplete. The Director NAB, Rizwan Khan, told the committee that eight more weeks were needed to complete the inquiry and once the inquiry was completed then the investigations be carried out. Giving the chronology of the inquiry, the director NAB told the committee that the Nandipur Power project was approved by the ECC in 2007 at a cost of $329 million and financing was to be done by foreign banks. On the instructions of the Supreme Court, a commission probed the case and reported that the delay in commissioning of the project caused a loss of Rs113 billion. On the basis of the report, NAB recorded the statements of the concerned in order to initiate a criminal case but the case is still at the inquiry stage. NAB held judicial officials responsible for the delay. It also accused former ministers of not responding to the letters despite 12 reminders.
Senator Mushahid Hussain questioned that the country sustained a loss of Rs113 billion due to delay in the project, then who was responsible for it. When asked by Senator Mushahid Hussain, the NAB director avoided to give the name of the persons who could be responsible for the loss of Rs113 billion due to delays in the project. Senator Azam Swati observed that if the NAB did not name the person, then it should stop the probe and allow loot and plunder in the country.
Mian Abdul Manan said that everyone knows that then Law Minister Senator Babar Awan was involved in it. The PAC took a strong exception to NAB for not completing the inquiry in three years.
Chairman PAC Syed Khursheed Shah observed that inquiry be completed in 8-week, then the investigation will take four months and then general elections will be started, so this issue will not come before this PAC. Sardar Ashiq Gopang insisted that the inquiry should be completed in eight weeks.
Chairman PAC directed the NAB to complete the inquiry on Nandipur Power project in eight weeks time and submit the report to the PAC. Next Chichoki Mallian plant that caused a loss of Rs73.72 billion was deferred till the next meeting as the secretary MoW&P was not prepared on this issue.
The Auditor General of Pakistan revealed that power distribution companies have to recover Rs246.90 billion from bill defaulters that include government offices and private individuals. NAB, which is probing the matter, clarified that after a special audit the recoverable amount comes to only Rs36 billion. The secretary water and power told the committee that the distribution companies have recovered Rs41 billion so far out of total recoverable Rs241 billion.
Senator Sherry Rehman observed that if the recoverable is not made, then the complex issue of circular debt will continue. He told the committee that the Council of Common Interests (CCI) has decided to amend the Nepra Act, under which it will be given more powers. Member PAC Rasheed Godel questioned the details of the line losses and areas where the line losses occurred.
Chief executive LESCO Wajid Ali Shah told the committee that the line losses in 2013-14 were 19.1 percent and in 2016-17 it was 17.5 percent and one point loss means Rs10 billion. The chairman PAC summoned the meeting on May 24 for briefing on line losses, circular debt and recoveries.
In the meanwhile, Syed Naveed Qamar observed that the outdated machinery was being used in the CPEC projects which was even not used in China. However, secretary of the ministry rejected the notion of using outdated machinery and technology in CPEC projects saying that the latest technology was being used in CPEC.
