PAC Takes Notice Of Transfer Of Funds From Lapsable PLA-I To Non-

ISLAMABAD, Mar 7 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 07th Mar, 2017 ) : Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament on Tuesday took strict notice of unauthorized transfer of funds from lapsable Personal Ledge Accounts-I (PLA-I) in Pak.

PWD to non-lapsable PLA-III & IV and directed that no such violation be made in future. A meeting of the committee was held here in the Parliament House with Leader of the Opposition Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah in the chair.

Besides others the meeting was attended by lawmakers including Chauhdry Tanvir Khan, Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, Sheikh Rohail Asghar, Syed Naveed Qamar, Dr Darshan, Mian Abdul Manan, Mushahid Hussain Syed and officials of Ministry of Housing and Works and Directorate General of Audit Works.

The committee reviewed audit reports of Housing and Works (Pak. PWD) for the year 2013-14. The Audit officials briefed the panel that executive engineers of various divisions of Pak PWD approved contractors claims, booked the expenditure against their work done but withheld a sum of Rs 2,076.05 million during the year 2012-13, Rs 1,352.90 million (18 divisions) during 2011-12, Rs 524.78 million (11 divisions) during 2010-11 and Rs 60.18 million (4 divisions) during 2009-10.

A sum of Rs 1,840.33 million was released during the subsequent financial years. Moreover 9 Public Works Divisions retained funds amounting to Rs 586.44 million in PLA-III relating to PLA-II (Lapsable).

It is worth mentioning that accounts of Pak. PWD for the financial year 2011-12 were given "Adverse Opinion" on the basis of similar defective and manipulative practices.

According to the audit report these transactions not only violated the PLA system in a planned manner but also casts serious doubts on the system of internal controls.

Moreover, Parliament decides at the time of approval of budget estimates to place certain funds in lapsable category and others in non-lapsable category. By converting the lapsable nature of funds into non-lapsable funds the mandate of the Parliament was infringed upon by Executive Engineers.

Khurshid Ahmed Shah said that it was serious irregularity and directed that in future no such violation be made. "If such violation takes place in future then action should be taken against the responsible," he said.

The committee on another audit para regarding unauthorized payment due to unauthentic measurement/non-recording of detailed measurements directed that payments for all work should be done on the basis of measurements recorded in the Measurement Book (MB), while FIR should be registered against those who had done contrary to that.

On another audit para regarding irregular release/transfer of funds in violation of Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) directions, Khurshid Shah directed that in future work of a certain division should not be transferred to the other division.

According to the audit report funds amounting to Rs 1,176.34 million were released/transferred to five Pak PWD divisions in violations of the directive and ban imposed by the ECP against newly approved and funded schemes.