A parliamentary panel on Tuesday while snubbing the officials of the Pakistan Council of Renewable Technologies (PCRT) over their failure to produce 3,000 units of electricity per annum through solar energy has asked the government to thoroughly probe the matter and share the findings with the parliamentary body.
The meeting of the subcommittee of Public Accounts Committee was held here under the chairmanship of Rana Mohammad Afzal to review and discuss the progress on the directives to the Ministry of Science and Technology over audit objections of 1999-2006. The meeting was informed by the audit officials that Pakistan Council for Renewable Technologies started a project at Rs 6.7 million to produce 3,000 units of electricity through solar energy but failed to achieve the target as it could only produce 300 units of electricity.
Responding to the audit objection, the officials of the PCRT told the panel that the entity was assigned to create awareness among the masses on the use of renewable energy and also to provide training to the masses. They added that to produce power from solar energy far-flung areas of the country were selected wherein the organization has successfully undertaken the project. The PCRT officials said that they are ready to share the details at any level.
The audit officials further said that Council of Works and Housing Research (CWHR) Karachi caused Rs 468,000 financial losses to national kitty by an illegal appointment. The ministry officials while responding to the audit objection said that in fact the matter was not illegal appointment but an employee of the CWRC himself upgraded his post to the next level and the matter is under investigation.
Audit officials said that in a meeting of Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) held in 2012 it was decided that the person responsible for the mishap should be punished as per law but as yet no stern action has been taken against the accused. The committee directed the Ministry of Science and Technology to investigate the matter and resolve it at DAC level within one week.
The committee also directed the Ministry of Science and Technology to submit the report on 36 audit paras pending since long before the PAC next meeting. The panel also directed the ministry to verify the audit objections from the relevant officials of the Auditor General of Pakistan.
Audit officials said that a former director general of National Institute of Electronics (NIE) was paid Rs 75,000 additional on account of house rent which he never bothered to return. The ministry officials responding to audit objection said that the amount was deducted from the retired DG's pending dues.
Commenting on the subject, member committee Mehmood Khan Achakzai said that Rs 75,000 were not a big amount but the behavior of such a senior official is strange who even didn't bother to return a small additional amount went to his account mistakenly. The committee directed the Auditor General of Pakistan and the Ministry of Science and Technology to settle the matter at DAC level.