Daily Times

LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar heard suo motu notices on the Pakistan Kidney & Liver Institute (PKLI) and the mega projects initiated in Punjab over the last five years, among other petitions, at Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry on Friday.

Two benches were formed at the court to hear cases scheduled for the day. Bench 1 comprised CJP, Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, while the other one had Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Manzoor Malik and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah.

The advocate general of Punjab and secretary health appeared in court for hearing on PKLI.

During the hearing, forensic auditor Kaukab Zuberi presented a report based on his findings, according to which the project of PKLI was estimated to be completed in Rs 12.7 billion but the cost has gone up to Rs 53 billion.

So far, Rs 20 billion have been spent on the institute, while allocation of Rs 33 billion has been advised for the current fiscal year, Kaukab Zuberi added.

Besides, infrastructure of the institute had to be completed by December 2017 but it still stands incomplete, the forensic auditor said.

Not only this, but the present structure has started becoming derelict with leaking roofs.

The chief justice remarked that approval for PKLI was not sought from Executive Committee of the National Economic Council.

At a hearing in June, the chief justice sought a reply from PKLI and the Punjab government after misappropriation of Punjab money at the institute surfaced in an audit report.

The CJP regretted that a hefty amount of millions was being paid in salaries at PKLI, while Rs 2 million was going in the pocket of the head of the institute’s head each month.

While hearing the suo motu notice on mega projects on Friday, the chief justice expressed anger over the Orange Line Metro Train scheme lying incomplete in Lahore, seeking a time frame for its completion.

The chief justice remarked that the people of Lahore have faced immense difficulties because of the project lying incomplete. To this, a representative of Habib Construction Services said more than 90 percent work on the project was completed. He added that the rest of it had to be done by a Chinese company, which could take three to four months.

He also told the court that last two cheques for the project had bounced, to which the chief justice asked how cheques issued by the state could bounce.

Justice Nisar therefore asked the finance secretary for a response over the matter and ordered that the project be completed at the earliest.

Published in Daily Times, August 25^th 2018.