New Islamabad airport: PAC asks AD to settle audit para in 15 days

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday directed the Aviation Division either settle the audit paras related to New Islamabad Airport in the Departmental Accounting Committee within 15 days or take the action against the contractor and officials with recovery and to submit the report to the committee.

The meeting of the PAC was held with the chair of its Chairman Rana Tanveer Hussain, in which the audit paras related to Aviation Division and Revenue Division for the financial year 2012-13 were examined. The audit officials asked update about the inquiry report of the FIA with regard to make payments to contractors without following the standards for measurements for the construction work at the new Islamabad airport that caused a financial loss to the national exchequer.

The Aviation Division secretary told the committee that hree different inquiries were conducted on the new Islamabad airport that includes inquiry by NAB, FIA, Inquiry committee by Lt Gen (R) Shahid Niaz and inquiry committee by Shamsul Mulk.

On which, the PAC Chairman, Rana Tanveer Hussain, remarked that the leaked roofs of the new Islamabad airport after the recent rains exposed the performance of the Aviation Division.

The New Islamabad Airport Project Director told the committee that the Civil Aviation Authority has never paid anyone without measurement of the construction work as all the work completed according to PPRA rules. But the Audit officials did not agree with the project director of New Islamabad Airport claims and said that the payments were made without following the standards of the measurement and the payments of billions of rupees were made in this regard were illegal. PAC Member Sardar Ayaz Sadiq commented that one of them is wrong either the Aviation Division or the Audit department. The Auditor General of Pakistan said the measurements were taken on the Excel sheets instead of following the authentic procedure of the measurement. PAC members Sardar Ayaz Sadiq remarked that the PAC could not ignore the authentic procedure of the measurement.

While examining the audit paras relating to construction of the secondary Runway at the New Islamabad Airport, the Audit officials asked to committee to take the updates from the Aviation Division with regard to inquiry report on the secondary runway of the new Islamabad Airport.

The Aviation Division secretary told the committee that inquiry committee, headed by Shamsul Mulk, pointed out the administrative lapses but no criminal lapses in this regard.

PAC member Noor Alam Khan asked the committee to take the action against those who were found guilty and to recover the amount from the contractors.

PAC Chairman Rana Tanveer Hussain directed the Aviation Division either settle the audit paras related to New Islamabad Airport in the Departmental Accounting Committee within 15 days or take the action against the contractor and officials with recovery and to submit the report to the committee.

While examining the audit paras related to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for the financial year 2012-13, the audit officials told the committee that 117 audit objects were in the courts of law.

The member legal FBR told the committee out of 117 audit objections, 96 cases were pending in the different courts of law, and out of it, 4 cases in the Supreme Court, 24 cases in high courts, and 66 cases in tribunals.

PAC asked the FBR acting chairperson to make out the efforts for the logical conclusion of the cases. FBR Chairperson Nausheen Javed told the committee that she held the meetings with the Chief Justices of Lahore, Sindh and Islamabad High Courts.

Meanwhile, PAC also sought briefing from the department of Auditor General of Pakistan and FBR for the resolution of the administrative weaknesses and in General control in different taxes and general duties that were continuously pointed out by the Audit Department.