The Lahore High Court was told in an audit report that grave irregularities including unjustified expenditures have been found in the accounts of Miani Sahib Graveyard Committee (MSGC). The court directed the MSGC to provide accounts record of remaining five years (2004-08) to the audit firm for the purpose of audit.
On the issue of illegal encroachment in graveyard, Member Board of Revenue (BoR) Najam Saeed appearing before the court sought more time to file his compliance report which was duly granted and hearing was adjourned and the date would be fixed after winter vacation of the court.
The audit report said that the committee apparently miserably failed to preserve and maintain the graveyard and could not properly and successfully achieve the purpose of its creation. The committee also failed to maintain the graveyard in its original shape and could not stop unauthorised encroachment, the report added.
The audit conducted by a chartered accountant firm Zafar & Co, for the year 1999 to 2003 said that there was no check and balance in appointments of the employees, which was tantamount to wastage of public money.
The report said that there were numerous huge expenditures made under the head of construction and maintenance but the auditor was unable to verify these payments due to unavailability of documentary evidences. The audit report also revealed that no income tax had been deducted from taxable salary of employees and from the payments made to contractors as well as to legal advisor.
The audit firm in his report has suggested that a proper qualified accountant having practical knowledge of maintaining books of accounts should be appointed so that the accounts of MSGC could be papered on the universally accepted principles of accounting.
The petitioner, a former member MSGC Syed Muhammad Shah had challenged the sale of a land of Miani Sahib Graveyard to the LDA. The petitioner had also moved an application seeking court intervention to conduct audit of MSGC's accounts that had not been done since its formation in 1958.
Shah pleaded that he had moved an application to the chairman MSGC that demarcation of land had been carried out and the land should be get mutated in the name of graveyard. But due to some hidden reasons the same was not done. The petitioner also requested the court to order for the audit of graveyard's accounts and direct the chairman MSGC (DCO) to form committee.
The petitioner further sought directions to member colonies to visit graveyard and get illegal constructions removed from the land of the graveyard. He said that according to a colonies department order issued on January 22, 2005, 3 kanals, 18 marlas and 275 square feet state land in Mozang was sold to the LDA at Rs 360,000 per marla for further allotment to 81 shopkeepers/victims of Chowk Chauburji Wasa drain. The petitioner said the sale was against the Punjab Graveyards (Reservations and Maintenance) Act, 1958 and the Miani Sahib Graveyard Ordinance, 1962.