The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Sindh, has summoned the North Sindh Urban Services Corporation Limited (NSUSC) officials, along with relevant documents, to appear on June 21 to explain the award of consultancy contract to Mott McDonald on the basis of its bid submitted in 2009, being the second ranking firm.
Interestingly, Minister of Religious Affairs Khurshid Shah has also, in a letter sent to NSUSC on June 10, come hard on the Corporation, saying: "NSUSC and its management has miserably failed and the district of Sukkur and other districts suffering painfully and, therefore, appropriate immediate action be taken against NSUSC for redressing the poor people of these districts".
NAB has come into action following receipt of a letter from Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) highlighting certain issues and observations regarding the above project.
In a letter written to the Chairman of NSUSC, NAB has requested that the details of measures to ensure transparency and to address the issue be forwarded to the Bureau.
Khurshid has emphasised in his letter that the said consultancy be re-advertised to ensure transparency and merit to avoid dispute and 'scandalisation' of the government.
He has also mentioned that the project was awarded to Posch and Partners of Austria in association with Eoroconsult Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd. The project was prematurely terminated on unfounded grounds and later the local associate was not allowed to continue in order to save money and time.
The consultancy service now being illegally and in a clandestine fashion is in the process of being awarded to Mott McDonald Pakistan, the Number 2 ranked company in competition one year back with much higher and expensive rates than already awarded causing huge losses to the exchequer of the Government of Sindh and leading to a volatile scandal.
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