PIA management directed to hold performance audit: PAC expresses concerns over state of affairs in PIA

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) expressed its displeasure over the state of affairs in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and ordered the management of the national flag carrier to hold performance audit of the airline by the end of August.
The PIA has turned into resource eating organisation, said Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Chairman PAC, while reviewing the audit paras of the PIA. The committee, which met here in Parliament House on Thursday with Chaudhry Nsiar Ali Khan in the chair, regretted that the PIA management was playing with the lives of passengers by having over-aged pilots in the crew.
The Committee directed PIA management to streamline the financial issues of the airline, besides adopting safety and security measures of the passengers. Chairman PAC observed that he would raise the matter with Prime Minister Gilani to seek remedial measures for making the PIA viable and some matters would be referred to Secretary Defence for this purpose.
PAC Chairman and another PAC member Khawaja Asif also experienced a delayed flight PK-658 coming from Lahore on May 8. PAC took serious note of the issue and directed Secretary Defence Lieutenant General Syed Athar Ali (Retd) and PIA managing director Nadeem Yousufzai to return half of the ticket amount to passengers as compensation for the mental torture through which they had to pass for over two hours at Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore.
Chairman PAC also ordered the PIA management to write letters to the passengers apologising and regretting over the inconvenience caused to them. The PAC while reviewing the audit paras of Ministry of Housing and Works expressed its displeasure over corruption in Estate Office and directed the Ministry to conduct inquiry and present report before the Committee within one month.
The chairman directed the Housing Secretary to complete an inquiry report before the end of June about past and sitting officials who have been making illegal allotments of government houses and also furnish a list of allotment of plots made to journalists and other unauthorised persons by the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF).
Chaudhry Nisar Ali said that the Ministry of Housing was responsible for the misdeeds and Secretary Housing and Works should have to fix the responsibilities of wrong doings including allotment of government houses to non-entitled employees. Chaudhry Nisar also quoted an example in which an employee of Pakistan Television has been occupying the government flat despite the fact that the allotment to him was cancelled in 1997 and a huge amount as standard rent was also due against him.
The PAC appreciated Secretary Housing Raja Abbas and his team for making a recovery of Rs 100 million from non-entitled terming it a good work. He also directed the ministry to make arrangements for laying off non-entitled employees. The PAC also lauded the Ministry of Housing for winning a case in Sindh High Court to get possession of 3400 government quarters and flats which were given to occupants on proprietary rights by Housing Minister Safwanullah during Musharraf regime.
"Now the Ministry is facing the more difficult job of getting those residences vacated and PAC will ensure its full co-operation in this connection," Nisar said. During the meeting, the Housing Secretary made a startling revelation that the allotment of government houses to non-entitled employees was continuing till a few weeks back. Out of 632 government houses in occupation of non-entitled employees, as many as 131 allotments were made during the year 2010-2011.
He agreed with concerns of PAC members about rampant corruption in PWD and Estate Offices. "We have made time and again efforts to root out corrupt practices in these departments," Raja Abbas said. Directing Housing Secretary to pin-point corrupt officials in the inquiry report, Nisar said the PAC was there to create certain examples regretting that ill-gotten money was now being given name of commission. Nisar said everybody knew as to how the rules and laws were being flouted in allotment of government houses and plots.
He directed to refer the matter of allotment of government houses to the standing committee of the National Assembly on Housing with request to recommend a transparent system of allotment. PAC members Noor Alam Khan and Asiya Nasir observed that the commission up to Rs 2.5 lac was being minted by the Estate Office officials for allotment of government houses. Pervaiz Malik MNA observed that up to Rs 0.9 million were due against each illegal occupants as standard rent. Housing Secretary told the meeting that there was gap between number of government employees and available government houses. He said a ban was imposed on construction of more government houses in 1995-1996.