Asif Ali
PESHAWAR: Alleged irregularities have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s mosque solarisation project, with documents raising questions about bidding procedures, project costs, delays and the award of additional work under the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provincial government.
According to documents cited by media reports, the project to install solar panels and related systems at 2,490 mosques was divided into seven packages. Successful bids for all seven packages were between 7.98 and 10.99 per cent higher than official estimates, potentially placing an additional financial burden of more than Rs500 million on the public exchequer.
The documents also indicate that two companies initially declared unsuccessful during the prequalification process were subsequently allowed to participate in the tendering process, raising questions about compliance with procurement procedures.
Questions Over Solar Unit Costs
Audit documents highlighted a significant difference of approximately Rs156,000 per solar unit between the government’s estimated cost and the cost under an earlier project executed by the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC).
The discrepancy has raised questions about how the per-unit cost was calculated and whether the project offered value for public money.
Rs586 Million Penalty Questioned
The documents also refer to a potential penalty of approximately Rs586 million linked to delays under NRTC’s earlier contract.
However, instead of imposing the penalty, the organisation was reportedly awarded additional work to install solar systems at another 500 mosques.
The estimated cost of this additional assignment was Rs419.1 million.
The circumstances surrounding the decision not to impose the penalty and the subsequent award of additional work have also come under scrutiny.
PEDO Rejects Allegations of Irregularities
The Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO), responsible for the project, has maintained that all legal requirements and transparency measures were followed.
According to the organisation, bids were evaluated under the prescribed rules and no firm received an unlawful advantage.
PEDO also attributed delays in the project to funding constraints and administrative issues.
The organisation said the overall target was to provide solar power systems to 7,500 mosques across the province.
The reported findings raise questions about procurement, cost estimates and contract management. However, the allegations and audit observations do not, by themselves, establish criminal wrongdoing, and PEDO has denied that the project involved unlawful advantages.
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