The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources grilled the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) for procuring 78 luxury vehicles worth Rs740 million despite a federal austerity policy banning such purchases.
During the meeting, chaired by Senator Shahadat Awan, committee members expressed strong disapproval of Wapda’s financial decisions, highlighting that the acquisition of high-end vehicles violated the cabinet’s directives on curbing government expenditure.Â
The criticism on Wapda’s vehicle purchase follows a similar outcry over the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) plan to procure 1,010 new Honda City cars at an estimated cost of Rs6 billion.Â
That purchase was halted after public backlash and a Senate committee review, with the matter referred to the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).Â
The FBR chairman had defended the need for the vehicles, citing enforcement requirements, but the procurement process was put on hold amid allegations of financial misconduct.
The Standing Committee on Water Resources also raised concerns over the slow progress of inquiries into financial irregularities within Wapda, with some cases dating back nearly four decades.
Awan noted that 187 audit paras related to Wapda’s financial affairs remain unsettled, including a Rs29 billion discrepancy that has yet to be investigated by the Ministry of Water Resources.Â
The panel directed that all pending inquiries be completed within six months, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability.
