MCR officials running from pillar to post to save their skin

Rawalpindi:To suppress the corruption scandal for their alleged role in spending Rs2.075 billion on the re-carpeting of roads, the concerned officials of the Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) Infrastructure and Services (I&S) department are running from pillar to post.

Some key post-government officials on condition of anonymity told ‘The News’ that Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz took notice of the corruption scandal in which MCR officers spent public money of Rs2.075 billion on the re-carpeting of roads that were already in fine condition in Rawalpindi. The CM Punjab directed the chief secretary to submit a detailed report about this issue. The chief secretary (Punjab) directed Commissioner Rawalpindi Division to submit a detailed report about this issue regarding re-carpeting of roads that were already in fine condition, the key post officers said.

They said that Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Aamir Khattak called MCR Chief Officer Chaudhry Amjad and Town Officer Rafaqat Gondal to his office to clear their position. The Commissioner asked them to present a detailed report about this issue. The MCR officers told the cCommissioner that some people were blackmailing them for ‘money’ therefore such kinds of stories were being published in the media. They were demanding ‘money’ to be silent, the MCR officers alleged. The commissioner insisted they present a detailed report in written form so that he could send it to the chief secretary (Punjab), the officers said.

It merits to mention here that the Punjab government has decided to take strict action against officers of the Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) Infrastructure and Services (I&S) department for their alleged role in spending Rs2.075 billion on the re-carpeting of roads that were already in fine condition. The Punjab government had also directed to include the names of all such officers in the Exit Control List (ECL) to stop them from running abroad.

The Chief Engineer (Technical) Punjab Khalid Hussaini also assured to take strict action against corrupt officers involved in this corruption scandal. He also assured that he would never spare corrupt officers at any cost.

The Deputy Director (Development) Mazhar Nadeem is still strict on his statement that he rejected this project to start re-carpeting roads that were already in fine condition. The MCR officers brought this summary twice but I rejected it because we don’t have money to waste, the Deputy Director (Development) said.