SRINAGAR: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today convened a meeting to discuss various audit paras of the Housing and Urban Development department (HUDD) at the Assembly Complex here.
The meeting was presided over by Committee Chairman Sham Lal Sharma and attended by members Mubarak Gul, Nazir Ahmad Khan, Qaysar Jamshaid Lone, Javid Hassan Baig, Sajad Shaheen, Muzaffar Iqbal Khan and Altaf Ahmad Wani.
Principal Accountant General J&K, Commissioner Secretary HUDD, Director General Accounts and Treasuries, VC LCMA, VCs of JDA/SDA, MD J&K Housing Board, Chief Town Planner, Chief Architect J&K, senior officers of SMC/JMC and other concerned officers attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the PAC undertook a detailed review of audit paras pertaining to the Housing and Urban Development Department.
Addressing the officers, the Chairman underscored the importance of ensuring efficiency and transparency in spending public money. He highlighted that the mandate of PAC is to scrutinize the government spending, identify lapses, fix accountability and recommend corrective actions.
The Chairman also asked the department that officers, who cause loss to exchequer, need to be made accountable and procedural delays should be completely avoided for smooth execution of works.
Highlighting on the mandate of PAC, the Chairman said that the main motto of this committee is to keep a regular check on the spending of public money. He added that the legislators have been given a mandate by the people to look after the system and take measures for its correction wherever necessary.
While taking strong notice of some of the unsatisfactory replies to audit paras, the Chairman and other members of PAC called upon the HUDD to submit a comprehensive report, in this regard, within two months.
The Chairman and the members also asked the department to frame a policy for revenue generation of various assets of the department.