ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel, on Monday, sought complete details of water filtration plants and tube wells installation project carried out by the Pak PWD in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The meeting of Senate sub-committee on Housing and Works was held with Kamil Ali Agha in the chair here on Monday, which considered details of water filtration plants and tube wells installed by the Pak PWD in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along with staff posted there and corruption/malpractices and embezzlements in the Pak PWD Batkhela division.

The ministry responded that 41 tube wells were installed, (22 in DI Khan, nine in Khyber, and 10 in Peshawar), and 237 pressure pumps (225 in Bajaur, nine in Khyber, and three in Bannu) by the Pak PWD.

However, no staff was deputed by the Pak PWD. After installation, the tube wells and pressure pumps were handed over to the provincial government.

The executive engineer, Central E/M Division Pak PWD Peshawar had previously provided incomplete/false information and disciplinary action has been initiated against the concerned Executive Engineer under E&D Rules, 2020.

Convener of the committee directed the PWD officials to present complete details of the project including advertisement, PC-1 etc. The committee also deliberated upon the alleged corruption/malpractices and embezzlement on Pak PWD, Batkhela Division.

The ministry officials informed the committee that the report submitted by the executive engineer, Project Civil Division, Pak PWD Batkhela has been examined and found convincing.

In this regard, the complainants also filed the cases in court.

However, the court agreed with the stance of the department, hence, their appeals were disposed of, as the complaints were made on ulterior motives without any ground reality.

The committee was further apprised that the advertising of tenders is available in newspaper as well as the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) website.

However, all tenders/contracts were awarded transparently as per the PPRA Rules to the lowest bidder.

Senator Afnan Ullah Khan suggested that contractors should be reprimanded for wasting time of the department as well as of the committee.

The chairman committee sought complete details of the project to be presented in the next meeting of the committee. The meeting was attended by Senator Afnan Ullah Khan and officials from the Pak PWD and the Ministry of Housing and Works.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021

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