A spokesman of Punjab Privatisation Board (PPB) has clarified that all government assets which were lying unused and redundant over long periods of time, referred by Board of Revenue Punjab to PPB, are being auctioned as per the procedure laid down under the PPB Act 2010 through transparent, crystal-clear and open bids after meticulous evaluation by District Price Assessment Committees (DPACs) and two private companies of good repute.
Receipts from such auctions in various districts, totalling nearly rupees four billion are being spent for development in the respective districts. The spokesman said that the allegation levelled in a statement carried by various newspapers that the assets of Punjab, particularly in Bahawalpur district, are being sold at throwaway prices is totally baseless, unsubstantiated and unrealistic.
He said that the particular property in Bahawalpur, Feroza Guest House, which has particularly been referred to, was auctioned seven times higher than the assessed value. He pointed out that it has been happening for the first time in the history of Punjab that state assets are being sold through open and competitive auctions after advertising them in various national dailies and electronic media so that all and sundry are well-informed about it.
He further said it is pertinent to point out that several precious properties of Punjab government, both urban and rural, are being encroached upon and misused by powerful land mafias, while urbanised agriculture lands in various districts is being used for dumping garbage.
The spokesman said that the present government reconstituted PPB after the passage of Punjab Privatisation Board Act, 2010 by Punjab Assembly so that the biggest province of the country could provide stimulus to the economy facing downslide and recession, as well as involve people to invest in neat and clean properties being auctioned by Punjab government. The spokesman said that the PPB has successfully auctioned 316 government assets worth nearly rupees four billion throughout Punjab and not a finger was raised for the auctions in which officials of each districts administration, and Board of Revenue and PPB participated in the presence of print and electronic media.
It is also pointed out that the PPB has held back properties worth nearly Rs 10 billion whose bids were lower than the assessed value of the DOACs or Provincial Price Assessment Committee, which assesses properties worth above Rs 200 million, he added. PPB spokesman said that government of Punjab has laid down a foolproof mechanism of auctions involving two departments and the district administration.
Only those auctions, whose bids go up to the ceiling level or higher are approved by the competent authority and only after its approval, an auction gets materialised. He regretted that such a robust activity to carry forward development works in various districts and involving people to become engine of commercial and industrial activity and change for the better is being misinterpreted.