A total of Rs 528.972 million was embezzled in Cantonment Board Rawalpindi and land with an estimated cost of Rs 138,172.813 million was misused in cantonments all over the country, audit report 2008-09 with Defence Services revealed on Wednesday.
According to the audit report, as per entries available in the Subsidiary Cash Books an amount of Rs 303,692,671 was shown collected by Cash Branch on account of various cantonment funds dues for the period from 1 July, 2007 onwards but no record of deposit slips and bank challans was available/produced for reconciliation. Registers were also not being maintained as required under Rule-25 of Cantonment Account Code-1955 while a number of cheques were still being shown outstanding in the Cash Book.
The report reveals an amount of Rs 72,202,275 was collected by Cash Branch through 2,500 cash/cheque receipts during 2007-08. Neither the amount was entered in the relevant Subsidiary Cash Book nor bank challans prepared for credit into Cantonment Fund Account.
According to the report, in 37 cases an amount of Rs 8,248,486 collected during the year 2007-08 by Cash Branch through various cash receipts was not deposited into the Cantonment Fund Account till the time of audit.
Similarly, an amount of Rs 7,158,197 recovered through the Cantt-4 B receipts was neither found entered in the Subsidiary Cash Register for the period from 25th June 2008 to 26th September, 2008 nor bank challans/credits in Cantonment Fund were verified. In another case, a sum of Rs 2,175,685 was recovered from certain clients and also entered in Subsidiary Cash Register but had not been deposited in Cantonment Fund Account.
The report further reveals that as per record available in the Cantonment Board Rawalpindi, 112 BTS towers stood installed in Rawalpindi Cantonment area and the companies were liable to pay antenna fee of Rs 134,400,000. Keeping in view regular income per annum it was appropriate to maintain proper record for watching recovery of antenna fee, which had not been found available with the Cantonment Board. The report further said that roughly prepared detail showing recovery of Rs 44,050,000 from the cellular companies was provided for audit but that amount had also been paid by the companies as confirmed from the Cheque Register which was incomplete.
In another case, the audit report says that three gas bills for Rs 405,000, relating to the meters installed in Cantonment Board office, Engineering Branch and Cantonment General Hospital, were received from Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd for the month of August, 2007. The report says, as per recommendation of the concerned branch, a payment was made by the Cantonment Executive Officer but the payment of Rs 405,000 was actually made by the Account Branch without approval. It was revealed from the record of Water Supply Branch Cantonment Board Rawalpindi "that an amount of Rs 696,364 was deposited by tampering and rubbing of figures and subsequently amended in demand and collection ledger," the audit report said.
According to the report inscribed as "in cantonment areas all over the country a trend of unauthorised use of government land was observed. Audit had been pointing out such cases every year. During audit year 2008-09 a repetition of such irregularities was again observed including failure in implementation of internal controls."
The report says the government land of Rs 120,767.920 million is being used for commercial purposes. As many as 17 locations of A-1 land were being used for commercial purposes without prior approval, reclassification or lease execution. The income received in lieu thereof has not been deposited into the government coffers.
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