ISLAMABAD: Out of the total amount of Rs624. 46 million embezzled amount, Pakistan Postal Services had recovered Rs. 142 million during last five years.
National Assembly Standing Committee on Communications which met here on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Member National Assembly, Muhammad Muzammil Qureshi, the committee was briefed that the amount was recovered from 241 reported cases during the said period.
The members were briefed that in year 2012, 43 cases were registered having embezzled amount of Rs. 158 million among which Rs. 15.74 were recovered while in 2013, 52 cases were registered with an amount of Rs. 58.26 million among which Rs. 29.09 million was recovered.
Whereas, 36 cases were registered in 2014 among which Rs 90.70 million was embezzled and an amount of Rs. 12.2 million was recovered by the department, 47 cases in 2015 with 94.1 million fraud money among which 28.02 million was recovered and in 2016, 63 cases were reported among which Rs. 223.4 million was embezzled and the recovered money was Rs. 57.5 million.
The committee was informed that last Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) was held on January 1, 2015 and the department has prepared the compliance report of their objections but no DAC has been conducted for last two years and four months.
Director General Pakistan Postal Services (PPS) Rubina Tayyab informed the committee that they have zero percent advertisement budget which created serious problems for them.
All Pakistan Newspaper Society has imposed a ban on PPS ads for last three to four years which is major hurdle for dissemination of its latest services information among masses.
The NA body was further apprised that PPS occupy 4172 property buildings among which encroachment was reported on 371 buildings in 2015 which was reduced to 251 in 2017 due to departmental measures. The chairperson of the committee recommended that the provinces should coordinate with federal department before leasing any land to avoid encroachments.
The NA body also suggested that construction on PPS encroached lands should be seized immediately. The chairperson also recommended that a legal advisor post should be created for resolving PPS legal matter speedily.
