Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has least bothered to pay Rs 1.52 million to a private consultant who provided his services to the FDE for years as repairing of official vehicles.

Muhammad Saqib Naeem Sheikh owner of Honda Meher Motors located on Peshawar Road Rawalpindi, is dealing with sale and purchase of various kinds of vehicles and also deals with repairing matters.

As per information available with Daily Times, the FDE authorities approached Meher Motors for availing its services to repair official vehicles of the directorate. The information suggests that Meher Motors provided his services from last many years but charges have not been paid for availed services.

Like FDE’s daily wages teachers who are pillaring to pose for seeking their rights, Meher Motors owner Sheikh also compelled to approach a court known as Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat (WMS) with the hope to get his stuck money with FDE.

According to him, to seek court was only option for him as he has been fed up from in vain repeated visits of FDE.

As per copies of documents obtained by this correspondent, the WMS also directed for resolving the issue without further delay. In the complaint with WMS, Meher Motors’s Sheikh stated he carried out the repairs of 20 vehicles of FDE during since 2014 on the orders of Deputy Director (Technical) of the directorate. “However, the repairs bills (Rs 1.52 m) not have been paid so for. It is the matter of negligent”, Sheikh stated in the complained he filed with WMS.

The documents revealed that in response of filed complain, the FDE authorities appeared before the court on October 10, 2016 and stated that the matter of repair of vehicles was dealt by Deputy Director (Technical) Saleem Akhtar Awan. On this WMS given chance to Awan for his in person appearance in the court on November 10, 2016. Awan including Sheikh and other authorities concerned of the FDE presented themselves before the court and Awan rejected the claims of outstanding dues made by Sheikh.

Instead justify himself, Awan said that “repairs carried out by complainant were sub-standards”. However, the complainant (Sheikh) rejected the stance of the Agency’s Awan.

In rebuttal, Sheikh presented the record before the WMS which indicated that several vehicles were repaired in various dates. He further contended in his stance before the WMS that if his provided services was poor, then why the additional vehicles were given to him for repairs. He also stated that the FDE did not send him any kind of notice in this regard when the services were being availed by the directorate.

However, the WMS directed FDE for holding a through inquiry in this regard and also said that complainant should submit all documentary evidences with the court within month.

The reliable sources in the FDE disclosed that the authorities are intentionally delaying the matter. “No inquiry has been held thus far as per WMS directions”, they added. The sources said after provision of their services the private consultants compelled to repeated visits of FDE and ultimately to courts even for getting their own money. While talking to this scribe Meher Motors’s Sheikh said that instead paying his amount, Joint Secretary of Capital Administration and Development Division (CA&DD) Director General (DG) Ayesha Farooq herself make him phone calls and threatened for dire consequences in case ‘asking for money’.

Ayesha Farooq however, could not be reached despite repeated calls and text messages on her mobile phone.

The said-like delays in payments of dues to private services providers are common in the FDE. For example a private firm known as Shani Traders provided furniture to FDE worth million and their dues in return of provided services were stuck same like the case of Meher Motor. They also approached various courts but no vain. Shani Traders’s issue, however, had been resolved when a news story in this regard published by Daily Times in June 2015.