Massive corruption unearthed in Larkana-Khairpur bridge project

Author: By Rana Mushtaq

ISLAMABAD: The corrupt bureaucracy of the National Highways Authority (NHA) construction company, Project Director and respective consultant, has inflicted a loss of Rs 1.5 billion to the national exchequer through a massive corruption scandal in the construction project of Larkana-Khairpur bridge over the Indus River.

According to official documents, the bridge was built during Asif Ali Zardari’s regime and billions of rupees were spent on this project. An additional payment of more than Rs 1.5 billion was made to the contractor.

According to reports, the project director of the NHA – against whom a high-profile inquiry is underway – had provided incorrect information about the height and length of the constructions around the bridge. As per the agreement, the total height of the apron was 2.27 metres but its height was shown as 24 metres at the time of payment.

The project director received approval for an additional bill of Rs 1.5 billion from the NHA chairman by providing incorrect information about the stones stacking. A high-level inquiry is continuing against him on this count.

Per the agreement, it was decided that monitoring by the respective engineers is a must before stone stacking. The respective mechanical staff had provided a report against the project director.

As many as 90,591,424 stones are shown to have been stacked in the bill, but no documentary evidence in this regard is available in the record. AutoCAD was the only method for stacking stones but this method was not pursued.

Audit authorities in their audit report, which they had issued after spot verification, observed how the payment of Rs 1.5 billion was made to officers when the stones were not stacked in the river around the bridge. This matter should be probed at a high level, the audit authorities directed.

In yet another scandal of the NHA, a security amount of Rs 348 million has not been obtained from the construction company of Kalat-Chaman highway. There was no insurance guarantee of the Nishtar Ghat bridge, but benefit was given to the contractor.

A huge loss to the tune of Rs 70 million was caused to the national exchequer by receiving a guarantee for the trap bridge of Attock Yark Toll Plaza and two projects in North Punjab from the defaulter insurance company.