Slot vacant: PAC displeased with absence of communication secretary

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday refused to listen to a headless Ministry of Communication, showing its displeasure over the government’s inability to appoint a permanent secretary and a federal minister. Headed by Syed Khursheed Shah of Pakistan Peoples Party, the parliament’s accountability arm kept its proceedings limited to the extent of further digging out the facts behind the government’s decision to construct a new road, leading to a new airport, which will cost the taxpayers 200% more. An additional secretary of Grade-21 appeared before PAC to discuss the audit objection pertaining to the Ministry of Communication. But PAC refused to hear him out, saying under the rules only federal secretary of Grade-22 can appear before the committee. “I have personally written to the government to appoint a permanent federal secretary, as the vacant post was creating hurdles in PAC’s working,” said Shah. He observed that the prime minister’s decision to retain the portfolio of Minister of Communication was also creating problems in the smooth working of the ministry. Communication is not the only ministry being run by a junior officer. The Ministry of Water and Power and Ministry of Privatisation are also handed over to junior officers. On its second day, PAC seemed struggling to fix responsibility of a massive increase in cost of the road network approved to link the new international airport with the capital city. It decided to call federal secretaries of the Ministry of Planning and Development, aviation secretary and National Highway Authority chairman before taking any decision. During the proceedings, both the additional communication secretary and NHA chairman put the responsibility on the Ministry of Planning and Civil Aviation Authority for the decision to construct a new road. On Monday, Aviation Secretary Imran Gardezi had passed the buck to the Ministry of Planning and NHA. “I categorically state that NHA did not give any input in making a decision to construct a new road to link New Benazir International Airport with Islamabad,” said Shahid Ashraf Tarari, the NHA Chairman. He said the NHA was not responsible for the ill-planning and design. The additional secretary said the government’s decision to construct a third runway at the eleventh hour jeopardised the original planning, as the runway was proposed to be constructed at a site, which had been selected to link the earlier planned road with the airport. Now, there was no space for road alignment, he added. The NHA chairman said the previous option that the government discarded would have cost Rs9.8 billion while the cost of new road was Rs28 billion, almost three times higher. He said the government’s decision to construct a 2.5km elevated road from Golra More to Haji Camp and widening the road by 600 metres were the main reasons behind the price escalation. He said under the old plan, the cost of the road was Rs8.4 billion, which would increase to Rs18.3 billion under the approved new road scheme, higher by Rs9.83 billion or 117%. Similarly, the land acquisition cost in the old scheme was Rs1.4 billion, which is now Rs9.7 billion due to acquiring the right of way, which is more than the normal requirement. “PAC is not against the project but it wants to save the taxpayers’ money,” said Khursheed Shah. Published in The Express Tribune, May 7th, 2014.