LAHORE:Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has grilled LDA DG for releasing security of contractor of Sheranwala Gate Flyover without recovery.
In its meeting, the PAC-1 took up the audit para related to recovery from contractor of Sheranwala Flyover. Other audit paras related to Housing Department were also discussed in the meeting.
Mian Yawar Zaman, a member of PAC-1, questioned the DG and other officials that why the security of contractor was released without recovery. He said despite the audit para, LDA did not blacklist the contractor concerned.
Yawar Zaman expressed his anger over the reply of DG Tahir Farooq that blacklisting a contractor was a tough decision. On this, the PAC member asked the DG if he can’t blacklist the contractor then he should pay the recovery amount from his own pocket. Intervening in the hot argument, Secretary Housing Noorul Ameen Mengal said a notice should have been issued to the contractor concerned on the matter. He assured the meeting that the LDA concerned wing will issue a notice to the contractor. Iftikhar Hussain Chhachhar, Chairman PAC-1, also expressed his anger over the situation and asked why notice was not taken despite the clear instructions of the PAC. He said the department was taking the PAC forum easy. He directed the secretary housing to initiate a complete inquiry into the matter.
Sources in the LDA claimed that after the meeting, the LDA DG expressed anger over the officials of Engineering wing who released the security of the contractor. Sources said a large number of audit paras related to the Engineering wing were pending in PAC and they will also come to surface in the coming days.
Later, DG Tahir Farooq visited LDA City and said 65pc of the LDA City Structure Plan Road was completed. He reviewed the ongoing development works. The DG directed the relevant officers to bring the commercial plots of LDA City to the market soon. Tahir Farooq said with the early completion of the Structure Plan Road, LDA City will be a few minutes away from Johar Town.
