RAHIM YAR KHAN: Twenty-three government boys and girls high and higher secondary schools of the district have been repaired and renovated with Rs69 million allegedly in violation of rules and regulations and the policy of the Punjab Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).

According to sources in the district education authority (DEA) and DC Office, Rs69m funds (approximately Rs3m for each school) were provided for repair and renovation of the schools.

The schools included boys and girls schools in Rahim Yar Khan, Khanpur, Kot Samaba, Sadiqabad, Jamaldinwali Ahmedpur Lama, Khan Bela and Liaqatpur.

The sources alleged that these schools were repaired and renovated to oblige and benefit a paint company to give it undue benefits by some government officers. There was also the allegation that the district education authority’s chief executive officer (CEO), stated to be a close relative of a former PML-N MNA from Sheikhupura, had rejected his promotion to BPS-20 at DPI Schools Lahore some months back and preferred to hold the CEO’s slot in BPS-19 in Rahim Yar Khan for vested interests.

This amount of Rs3m for each school was not approved in the annual budget by DC/administrator DEA.

Govt Boys High School Comprehensive Rahim Yar Khan Principal Fida Hussain Saeedi says the DC, the CEO DEA, deputy director planning (DDP) and accounts and budget officers, took the decision of renovation of 23 schools. He said the budget of DEA was in the hands of the CEO who released the funds to 23 schools from his own funds.

DEA Accounts and Budget Officer Om Prakash told this correspondent the amount of Rs3m each for 23 schools was released from an account, which was established to run the education and health authorities. He said there were still more than Rs300m funds in that account.

On the other hand, the DEA had neither announced the tender of each school nor did it disclose the contractors who completed the work.

Sources said that as per rules and regulations, it was the responsibility of the building department to complete the repair and renovation of all government institutions but the work of these 23 schools was not done by the building department. The DEA had got a no objection certificate (NOC) from the building department to complete the work itself. No advertisements was posted on the website of the PPRA or printed in local and national newspapers. The development works in the school were completed under the policy of non-salary budget, regulated by Project Management and Implementation Unit (PMIU), Lahore. Questions have been asked whether the DEA followed the non-salary budget funds utilization policy or illegally completed the work of these 23 schools by using the DEA funds.

Lastly, sources claimed that the district accounts officer (DAO) for education with two other officials of the accounts office attended a special meeting at the DC office in which they were instructed to make immediate arrangements for payment of bills by the accounts office, which had been done.

This correspondent made calls and sent questions in messages to DC Shakeel Ahmed Bhatti, DEA CEO Aslam Ijaz, EXEN Building Nouman Salman and District Accounts Officer Saifullah Sanghar. Except the DC, all the officers assured that they would reply to the questions by Monday but none of them gave his version.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2023