Director General Anti-Corruption Punjab, Former Justice Kazim Ali Malik, on proving the allegation of corruption for more than Rs 125.2 million for strengthening the protective spurs in the Jinnah Barrage Mianwali and Muzaffargarh Canal Circle during recent flood, has entrusted the investigation to Special Investigation Unit (SIU) after registration of three cases against Superintending Engineer, two XENs, six SDOs, 18 sub-engineers and divisional accounts officer of Irrigation Department.
According to details, a sum of Rs 120 million was misappropriated in the name of strengthening protective spurs in Muzaffargarh Canal Circle of Irrigation Department during recent flood out of which about Rs 30 million were paid on the purchase of stones and other items for controlling the flood water and payments to fake work charge employees and Rs 90 million were paid without any tender.
On the direction of DG Anti Corruption Punjab, two separate FIRs have been registered in which SE Abbad Shahid Cheema, Executive Engineer Tariq Anwar Khan, SDO Muzaffargarh Malik Jalees, SDO Khangarh Zafar Iqbal Muhammad Akhtar, SDO Jatoi Muhammad Shahid, SDO Shehr Sultan Riaz Jatoi, Divisional Accounts Officer Raeed Ahmad Khan, Sub-engineers Kamran, Malik Abdullah, Majid Khan, Tasawwar Iqbal, Muhammad Bilal, Sair Hussain and Mehr Riaz Hussain of Irrigation Department have been nominated. The accused have made all payments without any tender and violation of rules and regulations whereas bogus payment of more than Rs 30 million were made to 115 work charge employees and caused a heavy loss to government exchequer.
Officers of Irrigation Department misappropriated Rs 8.27 million in the name of strengthening the left guide bund of Jinnah Barrage Mianwali during recent flood for which DG Anti Corruption has registered a case against Superintending Engineer Thal Canal Circle Mianwali Khalid Iqbal, XEN Kala Bagh Headworks Division Muhammad Afzal, SDO Nawazish Khan and Sub Engineer Muhammad Younus. Officers of Irrigation Department prepared bogus bills for the purchase of stores for strengthening protective spurs.
Senior officers of police department, district administration and irrigation department besides Secretary C&W were also present on this occasion but none of them has seen the process of strengthening the spurs with stones during this period. Similarly, all kinds of traffic remained closed for three days on Mianwali-Kala Bagh Road during this period, therefore, question of reaching loaded trucks with stones does not arise at all.
According to the enquiry report of Secretary Irrigation, bogus bills of stones for strengthening spurs of Jinnah Barrage were sent on August 2 and 5 whereas said officers had been transferred earlier.
DG Anti Corruption said that it is highly lamentable that the nation was facing devastations of flood while corrupt mafia of irrigation department was engaged in loot and plunder. He said that the officers of irrigation department instead of controlling flood and planning rescue of flood affectees were involved in looting the national exchequer. He said that when the people were facing devastations of flood these officers were busy in making bogus entries in official record. He said that the government functionaries posted on high offices do not deserve any leniency.
While handing over the investigation of three cases to special investigation unit, he has constituted two members investigation team consisting of former district and session judge, Sh. Zaheer Ahmad Khan and former district and session judge, Sakhi Ahmad Kahoot.