Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Chairman Board of Governors Utility Store Corporation has revealed that the FIR had not been registered so far against the officials who caused a loss of Rs 700 million to USC, due to political as well as inside pressure. He was speaking to the standing committee of Senate on Industries and Production, which was held at Parliament House on Tuesday with its convenor Senator Hidayat Ullah, chairing. Secretary Industries, Chairman and MD of Utility Store Corporation and CEO Industrial Development Board were also present in the meeting.

The Chairman USC Mustafa Jamal Siddiqui has told the meeting that he is absolutely powerless as even he knows the changing of MD through media. He said that when the entire affairs of the corporation would be in the hand of an incompetent General Manager, then no one can save it from the loss.

He said that corruption prevailed in the department due to the subsidy that government offered to the consumers. By virtue of laws made by Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), the USC faces the cartelisation in the procurement. These cartels often sell their products to USC at high prizes. He said that in spite the opposition of Board of Governors, an advertisement was floated in the media for new induction but when it took a stand, the management had to cancel it. He said that before he joined the BoG, there was never a tradition of using IT in the department but he appointed Chief Financial Officer to computerise the working as well as record of the corporation. It is hoped that by the end of next year, 1,000 Utility Stores throughout the county will be automated.

“Corruption of Rs 700.47 million was carried out in the corporation during the last five years. Three cases are with the NAB, whereas some 115 cases are under investigation in FIA. Now the USC has become the hub of corruption,” he added by saying that it is strange that NAB or FIA failed to complete investigation against the officials who carried out corruption at Quetta station over five years. He said that according to new strategy, these products would be reduced from the warehouses of USC, of which warehouses were present everywhere.

The committee called the high-ups of FIA to know the details of the action taken against the corrupt USC’s employee. It also showed resentment over not presenting audit report for the period of 2014-15 before the committee and ordered the corporation to table all the accounts in the next session of the committee. The additional secretary Industries informed the Senate’s panel that pay and allowances to the staff of Pakistan Steel Mills was paid till March this year on which the committee issued instructions to pay the salaries and pension to them without any further delay.

The committee also recommended that government remove the faults in the Auto Policy and take action to abolish the monopoly of three auto companies.