LAHORE: The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) is showing reluctance to provide the Directorate General of Audit Works (Provincial) with the details of the recruitment of assistant field inspectors (AFIs), irregularities and alleged corruption on the part of the officers concerned.

       On the other hand, the audit office is all set to take necessary legal action against the Wasa management if the agency does not provide the record within the next seven days, Dawn has learnt.

       “The audit office is making all-out efforts to get the record related to the AFIs recruitment completed in 2015 but the Wasa management continues to ignore its request,” an official source told Dawn on Tuesday.

       “I think the Wasa management should be ready to face action from the audit office as there is no compliance to date,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

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       According to a recent letter written by the DG Audit Works (provincial) to Wasa managing director, the authorities have been told that the audit is a constitutional requirement conferred in the Articles 168 to 171 of the Constitution, read with the Article 8 and 9 of the Auditor General’s (Function, Power, Terms and Conditions of Services) Ordinance 2001.

       “The contents of the complaint lodged to the Auditor General of Pakistan depicted that only 20 posts of AFIs were advertised in the print media on June 24, 2015 but the 41 AFIs were appointed against 20 vacancies in violation of law. As an example, one candidate Hassan Ali obtained 75 marks and stood at Serial No. 24 of the merit list was not appointed whereas another candidate who obtained 51 marks stood at Serial No.472 was appointed illegally despite his marks were less than 75,” explains the letter. It says that the case in question was examined by the regulation wing of the Services & General Administration Department and the matter was taken up with the secretary Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Department (HUD&PHED) on October 6, 2021. The secretary (HUD&PHED) issued a letter to Wasa with the directions that, “I am further directed to request to kindly proceed on the advice of the regulations wing, S&GAD as well as take action against the officers who violated the rules/regulations and further informed that if the officials are not entitled for regularisation as per advice received from regulations wing (S&GAD), thus they are not eligible for extension in their contracts. Therefore, the only process should be adopted for fresh recruitment against the same positions”.

       Following the aforementioned situation, the audit office sought record consisting of the LDA condition of service regulations 1978, approved minutes of the authority about the eligibility criteria (experience, qualification etc) for the posts of AFIs, estimated budget for 2014-15 approved by the authority showing the vacant and available posts of the AFIs along with provisions of funds, revised budget for 2014-15 and estimated budget for 2015-16 approved by the authority, prior approval of the authority or the government for the recruitment of the vacant posts, approved criteria of Wasa, shortlisting of the candidates and inquiry reports (if any).

       When contacted, Wasa MD Ghufran Ahmad dispelled the impression, stating that there was no issue in providing record to the audit office. “And we will soon send this (record) to them as I have sent the letter to the respective office of Wasa,” he claimed.

       Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2023