Public Accounts Committee on Saturday directed the Ministry of Petroleum to conduct an inquiry into the loss of Rs 24.44 million sustained by Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Company in the import of compressors during 2000-01.
The Committee, which met with MNA Malik Allah Yar Khan in the chair, directed the secretary of the ministry to order an inquiry immediately and fix liability against the persons for incurring loss to the national exchequer.
PAC also directed Oil and Gas Development Corporation (OGDC) management to pursue the recovery of Rs 58.44 million lying pending against contractors and submit report to the committee within 2 months.
According to the details provided by audit department, Rs 124 million were paid to contractors as advances out of which adjustments of Rs 65 million had been verified as yet.
Discussing the appropriation of accounts for the year 2000-01, PAC directed the Minorities Affairs Division to strengthen its internal financial controls and monitor the utilisation of its budgetary allocations.
The Committee also asked the said division to demand supplementary grants after thoroughly scrutinising its budget.
PAC also observed that financial advisors posted in each ministry and division had failed in discharge of their duties.
The Committee directed the principal accounting officers of all the ministries to post FAs immediately in their respective ministries, who have experience of dealing finance and accounts on their credit.
It also expressed its dissatisfaction over not depositing gold weighing 7 maunds and silver weighing 43 maunds, lying with treasury offices at Islamabad and with Punjab and Balochistan governments since 1947.
PAC was informed that evacuee moveable property was supposed to be deposited in the federal treasury as decided by the federal cabinet, however, Minorities Affairs Division had failed to comply with the said directions.
PAC directed secretary of the said division to deposit the gold and silver in the federal treasury without any further delay and report in this regard may be submitted to PAC.
The Committee criticised the role of persons responsible for delay as they had failed in discharge of their duty after lapse of 57 years and directed audit department to verify the transfer of gold and silver.
MNAs Muhammad Safdar Shakir Syed, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Ghulam Rasool Sahi, Professor Asiya Azeem, Syed Qurban Ali Shah, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Chaudhry Wasi Zafar, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Tanvir Hussain Syed and Hafiz Hussain Ahmad attended the meeting.