Multan,September 27: In a shocking revelation, the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) in Multan is embroiled in a staggering corruption scandal involving an alleged embezzlement of approximately Rs.1.5 billion. Investigations have uncovered a web of fictitious tenders, fake projects, and bogus payments linked to senior officials in the Engineering, Works, and Finance departments.

The Secretary Housing Southern Punjab has taken decisive action by issuing charge sheets against three key directors: Saeed Dogar (Director Finance), Abdul Islam (Director Engineering), and Arif Abbas (Director Works), based on 18 serious allegations of mega corruption. Furthermore, anti-corruption inquiries are currently underway in Multan against these officials.

The scandal centers around the misappropriation of millions in security deposits, which were funneled into personal accounts instead of official government accounts. The charge sheet against Dogar details seven counts of corruption, including a fraudulent payment of ₹25 million to a contractor for the Jahangirabad Disposal Station, despite the project never being initiated. He failed to satisfy inquiry officials regarding these irregularities.

Illegal payments have also surfaced, with contractors receiving funds for projects that did not exist, such as a scheme on TB Hospital Road in Mohalla Hazariyan. Directors Arif Abbas and Abdul Islam were reportedly complicit in these actions. A sham project involving the installation of 500 chromium-plated taps at filtration plants led to a bogus payment of Rs.4.71 million to favored contractors Razak and Zaheer Babar.

The scale of these actions is alarming, as millions meant for security deposits were diverted into personal accounts, allowing the implicated directors to profit significantly at the government’s expense. Notably, Awan Construction received unauthorized payments for the Bosan Road restoration project, despite existing audit objections.

Director Engineering Abdul Salam faces six counts of corruption after failing to auction WASA’s scrap for three years, despite directives from the competent authority in 2023. This negligence has reportedly resulted in significant losses to the public treasury. Allegations also include awarding contracts without competitive bidding and facilitating unauthorized payments totaling Rs.833,000 to contractor Nadir Saeed for incomplete work.

Furthermore, a mega project aimed at laying water supply lines allegedly witnessed a misappropriation of ₹1 billion, with no actual work performed on-site. The FATA department has also come under scrutiny for illegally allocating 50 plots to WASA for sewage and water supply services, which were misappropriated.

In a bid to recover lost funds, Director of Recovery Arif Abbas allegedly provided undue advantages to Pepsi Cola and Gourmet factories regarding bill payments, leading to further losses for the public treasury. Additionally, he reportedly authorized payments of Rs.25 million to a contractor for work that had yet to commence at Jahangirabad, with these transactions occurring in August and September of this year.

This scandal exposes a profound breach of trust and financial misconduct within WASA, underscoring the urgent need for stringent accountability measures to protect public resources and restore integrity in government operations. As the investigation unfolds, the public awaits justice for the misappropriation of their hard-earned tax money.