Chairperson Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for Railways Yasmeen Rehman said violation of rules in the sale of railway scrap will never be ignored. She was talking to media after presiding over a meeting of sub-committee for railways at Railways Headquarters here on Saturday. She said PAC observed two cases of irregularities in the sale of scrap without adopting proper procedures.
She said Poyma Trading company was obliged by some railway officers and it was sold a huge quantity of scrap without tendering. She said Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had been directed to investigate both cases and submit its report to the central PAC within a month.
"Departmental inquiry has also been launched in this regard," she added. To a question, she said 13 officers were found guilty of irregularities in an initial departmental inquiry. "No body will be spared after detail investigations," she added. To another query, she said the total loss in the cases was Rs 500 million, adding that 21,000 metric ton scrap had been sold at a price of Rs 28,000 per MT which also included expensive metals like copper, aluminium and steel.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, member of PAC, said that PAC had requested the government to support PR as PIA and Steel Mill were supported with lump-sum amounts. He said that PR was facing a deficit of Rs 35 billion, which could not be reduced without governmental support. Other members of PAC sub-committee for railways, Asia Nasir and Hamid Haraj, attended the meeting.