ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel, Wednesday, slamming Sindh government for mismanagement in solar energy and housing projects undertaken for the 2022 flood victims has stressed the need for transparency and accountability.
The Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs’ meeting chaired by Senator Saifullah Abro, while reviewing the Sindh Solar Energy Project expressed serious concerns and strongly criticised the handling of major public welfare projects, including the Sindh Solar Energy Project (SSEP), housing schemes under foreign funding, and multiple transmission and infrastructure projects.
The committee directed that all requested documents, records, and clarifications be submitted at the next scheduled meeting.
The committee took up the matter of the Sindh Solar Energy Project, under which solar systems are being distributed to households consuming less than 100 units of electricity. Officials revealed that 23,000 solar systems have already been distributed and the government plans to distribute 250,000 systems.
Committee members questioned why an NGO was hired directly without tendering and why Rs6,000 was collected from already subsidised households receiving support under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), only to be handed over to an NGO. One senator argued that it would have been better to subsidise the full cost rather than burden the poorest users.
During the briefing, officials from the Sindh Solar Energy Project said the solar systems were intended for domestic users consuming less than 100 units of electricity. However, it was revealed that households consuming between 0 and 20 units were being excluded from the scheme because they could not afford the Rs6,000 payment. Senators expressed outrage over this exclusion and the unexplained role of NGOs.
Another senator said it appeared the scheme was not delivering its intended benefits. The committee also questioned the integrity of the bidding process, where 18 companies participated but only three were awarded contracts, including one Chinese supplier. The government aimed to procure 200,000 solar systems, but officials confirmed that only 23,000 had been distributed so far.
The chairman committee demanded a full cost breakdown of the Rs31,083 per solar unit being quoted, pointing out that the actual base cost was around Rs21,000, with companies adding Rs8,000 without adequate explanation.
The committee voiced alarm over inflated and potentially fraudulent beneficiary lists under BISP, where up to 22 names were registered from a single household. The chairman instructed the Economic Affairs Division to write to the chief secretary of Sindh to tell him that the beneficiary lists were flawed. The chairman called for solar systems to be delivered only to truly deserving individuals.
The chairman committee expressing severe dissatisfaction over the lack of transparency and clarity presented by the officials asked the officials to provide full details to the committee. He criticised the project’s implementation, stating, “You are not giving a break-up of solar. The advertisements are running as if Sindh has been turned into Switzerland”.
The committee was also pointed out that 10 percent of the charges were paid to NGOs instead of two per cent normal consultancy rates paid in projects of other departments. The committee recommended PD, SSEP to provide the break-up of local customs, taxes and duties mentioned as Rs16,800 and Rs31,483.20 as Solar Home system in Solar Home System kit. The committee also recommended Project Director, SSEP to obtain quotations for the solar system items from Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar and submit them to the committee.
While reviewing housing projects in Sindh under foreign aid, the committee raised eyebrows over Rs22 billion allocated for 2.1 million houses, with Rs10,500 per house reportedly channelled to NGOs. Rs22 billion is not a small amount, these schemes are seriously crafty designed to aid NGOs, the committee while directing the officials to provide 20 years record of five NGOs involved along with their background and copies of their agreements.
The committee also took serious notice of the absence of officials from the Sindh Peoples’ Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF) and the Sindh Solar Energy Project. The officials who were present at the meeting were unable to adequately brief or satisfy the Committee.
The committee also deliberated on the 765kV Dasu-Islamabad Transmission Line Project of NTDC, where a possible financial discrepancy of Rs1.282 billion was highlighted. The committee observed that issue had already been discussed in detail in previous meetings of the committee. The concerned CE/P.D (PMU-DTLP) admitted in the meeting that tax amount was not included in the LoA issued to the qualified firm. The NTDC Board also approved the amount mentioned in the LoARs33 billion and Rs1.282 billion was later included in the signed agreement.
Senator Abro directed the Director General (DG) Federal investigating Agency (FIA) and NAB chairman to investigate the matter, summoning all members of the NTDC Board of Directors for explanation over alleged violations of the bidding agreements. The secretary Power Division also assured the committee that action will be taken against the involved officials and firms.
Regarding ADB 401B-2022 LoT II A (ACSR Bunting Conductor) and inquiries conducted on both projects by concerned departments, the Chairman Committee shared with the Committee that previously the issue of ADB 401B-2022 LoT II A (ACSR Bunting Conductor) project had been discussed in the previous tenure of SSC on Power under his chairmanship.
The MD, NESPAK had admitted in the meeting that evaluation of the bid was wrong resulting in the procurement being conducted in the wrong way and senior officers were involved in it. M/s Newage Cable (Pvt) Ltd Lahore was second lowest bidder and had been given 15 per cent domestic preference and declared the first lowest bidder illegally. The MD, NESPAK also informed the committee that M/s Newage Cable (Pvt) Ltd Lahore has never manufactured ACSR bunting conductors. After the detailed deliberations, the chairman demanded complete correspondence records from the issuance of tender till the current date made with ADB including all required formalities by NESPAK, calling for full scrutiny of the tendering process. The Chairman Committee further recommended that details of testing reports of supplied materials and payment made to M/s Newage Cable (Pvt) Ltd Lahore may also be provided to the committee.
The committee meeting was also attended by senators, Haji Hidayatullah Khan, FalakNaz, Kamran Murtaza, Rahat Jamali, Kamil Ali Agha, Dr Afnanullah Khan, and Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
