Karachi, The Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister, Justice (Retd) Maqbool Baqar, has issued a stern warning to the Accountant General (AG) of Sindh over the delay in the release of funds for 30 buses imported from China. The buses, currently at Karachi Port, are awaiting the release of a required amount of Rs1000 million, which has already been endorsed by the Treasury Office, Karachi.
According to Chief Minister Sindh, the Chief Minister expressed serious concern over the delay caused by the AG’s refusal to accept the endorsement from the Treasury Office. He emphasized that any damage or fault that may occur to the buses as a result of this delay would be the responsibility of the Accountant General.
The issue stems from a procedural disagreement. The Finance Division has clarified that “Accounting Office” includes Treasury Offices, allowing them to endorse Assan Assignment Account cheques. This information was communicated to the AG Sindh’s office on November 11, 2023. Despite this, the AG’s office not only ignored the advice favoring the Treasury Officer (T.O) Karachi for cheque endorsement but also restricted National Bank branches in Karachi from honoring cheques not endorsed by the AG. This action has effectively disabled the Treasury Office Karachi from performing its duties and has put all necessary expenses related to dishonored advice on hold.
Further complicating the matter, the AG’s office, in a letter dated November 27, 2023, restricted the endorsement capabilities to itself, in direct violation of the Procedure 2023. This has led to a standstill in the processing of the funds for the buses.
In response, the CM has advised the AG Sindh to resolve the payment issue within two days. Failure to do so, he warned, would result in the AG being held accountable for any resultant decay or faults in the buses.
The situation highlights a significant administrative hurdle in the release of public funds, affecting essential services in Karachi. The Chief Minister’s intervention underlines the urgency of resolving this bureaucratic impasse to facilitate the smooth functioning of public transportation services in the city.