A parliamentary panel has directed the Ministry of Finance to release sufficient funds to National Highway and Motorway Police (NH&MP) to recruit required staff for expanded network of motorways. These directives were passed by the subcommittee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which met here with MNA Noor Alam Khan in the chair and discussed the audit paras of the Ministry of Communications for financial year 2017-18.
The panel directed the Establishment Division to allow the NH&MP to recruit required additional staff for the extended networks of motorways. Noor Alam Khan said that in the past few years, it has been observed while travelling to different parts of the country on motorways that the bus and truck drivers do not observe line and lane rules. He further said that car drivers do not follow speed limits as they drive at a sped of 160 km per hour against the limit of 120 km per hour.
While briefing the committee on the state of the present staff of the department, Inspector General of NH&MP, AD Khuwaja said that the entity is facing serious shortage of human resource, as over the past five years no new staff has been inducted in the Motorway Police. He said that in the past five years, the motorways have expanded across the four provinces but his department was not allowed to induct new staff and is working with the limited force.
While briefing the panel, Secretary Communication Shoaib Siddiqui said that the NH&MP is not only facing shortage of human resources but also need additional vehicles for patrolling. He urged the panel to direct the Establishment Division to remove ban on new recruitments and ask the Finance Ministry to provide additional financial resources to the NH&MP to purchase patrolling vehicles and induct new staff.
The committee directed the secretary communications to share inquiry report against one of the senior officials of the NH&MP Shahzad Munir with the PAC, who is responsible for financial irregularity. The chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) and the secretary communications informed the panel that inquiry report was already shared with the PAC Secretariat on March 18, 2019 with fixing responsibility and recommendations to avert such happenings in future.
The officials of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) complained before the panel that Ministry of Communications, NHA and other attached departments are delaying the closure of their financial accounts for years and as a result the audit department couldn't timely conduct the audit.
The AGP officials said that the NHA as yet has failed to provide audited financial statement of 2016-17 to the Auditor General Office and as a result the AGP is unable to comment on the accounts and financial statements. The AGP further urged the PAC to direct the ministry and NHA to fix the responsibility on the official delay in completion of audited financial statements of the departments.
Noor Alam Khan and other members of the subcommittee said that no department will be allowed to delay the audit of the financial accounts and if any official caused any delay, serious action will be taken against him. The panel also asked the National Accountability Bureau's representative to present a comprehensive report on the alleged corruption in Thakot-Havelian section of motorway within two months. The NAB officials informed the panel that inquiry has been started against the former Chairman NHA Shahid Ashraf Tarar and executive director NHA.