The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Balochistan Assembly has exposed significant financial discrepancies within the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department and major infrastructure projects during a recent session led by Chairman Asghar Ali Tareen.
According to Dawn News, the PAC reviewed a special audit report from November 2022, covering the financial years 2018 to 2021 for the PHE Department in Gwadar. The report revealed that over Rs. 5.9 billion had been spent, yet a substantial portion of the funds remains unaccounted for, raising serious concerns about transparency and governance practices.
The audit highlighted numerous breaches of procurement regulations, including the unauthorized use of more than 1.43 million litres of diesel for water supply operations in Gwadar. Fuel was distributed to tankers without appropriate documentation or storage records, directly violating government protocols.
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Calling it a stark example of institutional neglect, Chairman Tareen criticized the failure to deliver clean drinking water to Gwadar’s residents despite enormous expenditures. He announced that the committee would conduct an on-site inspection of the Mangi Dam to assess progress. During the session, the project director assured that the dam could be completed by December 2025, provided that funds are disbursed promptly. Tareen committed to writing to the Chief Secretary to accelerate funding and warned that if delays persist, another audit will be initiated.
