Aamir Lashari
Rawalpindi: Serious questions have been raised over the performance and financial management of Punjab’s Communication & Works (C&W) Department after an audit report flagged billions of rupees in overpayments, irregular contract enhancements, weak recoveries, procurement lapses and other financial irregularities.
The audit identified Rs1.197 billion in irregular price variation, Rs1.168 billion in overpayment due to uneconomical items, Rs1.128 billion in non-recovery of overpayments for substandard work, Rs530.801 million in excess payment for bitumen and Rs216.979 million due to incorrect measurements. It also flagged Rs336.895 million in irregular contract enhancement and Rs519.455 million relating to performance securities and earnest money.
The report also mentions Rs44.422 million involving an alleged increase in quantities and adjustment through fake billing, while failure to award a contract to the first lowest bidder resulted in an audit objection of Rs1.035 million. Non-auction of a toll plaza and lower-than-approved toll recovery caused a reported loss of Rs821.864 million.
The scale and recurring nature of these observations raise concerns not only about financial controls but also about the department’s overall performance, supervision and accountability. Repeated problems in tendering, measurement, billing, contract management and recoveries suggest that the issue may go beyond isolated technical lapses.
The situation also brings to mind the fate of Pak PWD, which was abolished by the federal government in 2024 amid concerns over poor performance and corruption. While C&W cannot be equated with Pak PWD on the basis of audit objections alone, the experience should serve as a warning against allowing poor performance, weak oversight and financial irregularities to become institutionalised.
The Punjab chief minister is being urged to order a special audit and inquiry into all development works undertaken by C&W over the past several years, covering tendering, contractor selection, measurements, quality, contract variations, payments, securities and recoveries.
The exercise should determine how much public money was irregularly paid or remains unrecovered, identify responsibility where violations are established, and examine why similar audit objections continue to surface. The aim should be to improve the department’s performance, strengthen accountability and ensure that public development funds are used for their intended purpose.
