Chitral declared den of wheat embezzlement, corruption
PESHAWAR, Oct 9: The Public Accounts Committee of the KPK government has declared that Chitral is the den of embezzlement of wheat being provided by the government for distribution among the people of the backward district.
In its report, it said a certain mafia was not allowing construction of flour mills in Chitral. Contrary to one Food Reserve Centre (FRC) in each district, there are 93 distribution points in Chitral and every year millions of rupees are misappropriated in the name of flood, damage and snow. Even the gunny bags are sold out by the mafia.
The sources said in one such case 10,840 empty gunny bags were sold by the district food controller. The PAC ordered physical verification of the stock and as a result recovery from the concerned officials was sought. The sources maintained that secretary food had conceded the embezzlement taking place in Chitral and agreed that there should be two or three sale points and the remaining should be closed, but no reforms could be carried out in the district due to political interference.
In another case 179 tons of wheat and 17,934 gunnysacks were reported as damaged due to flood. The sources said such cases are common in Chitral and would be investigated. They added that in Chitral 45 tons of sugar was also reported damaged causing a loss of Rs0.879 million and the PAC decided to recover the amount from the officials concerned.
The sources said the office of director food extended favour to some contractors by accepting their tenders without call deposit and also releasing the payment without retaining the 10 percent security and no penalty was imposed on them for the delay in ensuring supply. They said it inflicted loss of Rs19.052 million to the public exchequer. An inquiry was ordered into the case and the report was to be submitted within a month.
The food department sources said in another case an agreement effective from August 19, 2009 was executed with PASSCO at the rate of Rs28118 per ton but payment was made at the new rates for the wheat already supplied and thus loss of Rs365 million was caused to the exchequer,. The loss was established and the PAC decided to make full recovery along with action against the officials responsible including the Director Food. The PAC sought registration of the FIR against the then Director Food and others but no action was taken despite the lapse of a year.
The PAC last week ordered disciplinary action against the officers not implementing the previous decision. In another case, the sources said, the Director Food didn’t impose penalty of Rs53 million on various carriage contractors due to delay in timely supply from different sales points in Punjab and Karachi.
The case will be investigated by a joint committee of Finance, Law and Food departments and recovery will be made along with disciplinary action against the concerned officials. The sources said that in another case sub-standard gunny bags were purchased and a loss of Rs4.86 million was inflicted to the exchequer. Lower rates for transportation were ignored in another case and the contracts were awarded at higher rates causing loss of Rs4.46 million to the public kitty. A committee of Finance and Law departments would probe the matter and submit report in a month’s time.–The News
This is the right time to expose all members of this corrupt maphia (politicians, food deptt officials, contractors) in Chitral, recover amount of national exchequer from them, beside penalty and sentences given by the court of law. This maphia has been sucking the blood of whole Chitral nation particularly poor masses in the most difficult and far flung areas of Chitral, like Yarkhoon Lasht , Broghol, Sore Laspur, Terich, Lot over, Rech, Khot, Arkari, Susum, Kalsh valleys, Madaklasht, have always been victims of their corruption in many ways.
This is the tip of the iceberg. The corrupt officials of the food department hands in glove with their political master cheaters have become millionaires overnight without being held accountable. Instead of taking action against these corrupt, poor people were implicated and charged with theft of wheat and jailed. In many cases the poor people had to sell their land to pay the amount pocketed by the officials. Many politicians were also involved in black-marketing the wheat in Afghanistan. Time has come these big fish are probed and brought to justice.
Garden East
Karachi.