Islamabad, Feb 21 (TNS): The disclosure by a federal minister that a lucrative toll plaza contract had silently been awarded to a military-owned construction company for 20 years without a competitive bidding process set off alarm bells in the Senate, with a vocal senator terming it a disturbing development and asking the chair to refer the matter to the relevant standing committee.
The revelation was made by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmad, who told the house that the contract had been awarded to the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) for an extended term of 20 years after the previous contract expired last year.
Speaking on an issue of public importance, Senator Farhatullah Babar criticised the 20-year extension in the contract for toll collection by the National Highway Authority without bids, without discussion in parliament and even without making it public.
He said he learnt about this unusual development during the question hour when Mr Sheikh on a supplementary question related to the NHA disclosed it. “Not believing that it could be true, I went to the minister to ask about it and was profoundly shocked that it indeed is correct,” Mr Babar said.
He said that the FWO had been given the contract for toll collection without bids. This highly lucrative contract was extended for 10 years during the era of the Musharraf government without bids and without a debate.
Now the contract had been extended by another 20 years in what Senator Babar said was geometric progression. By this mathematical model it would logically be extended in 2037 for another 40 years, he added. He said that this intrusion of the security establishment in the field of economy without bids and public competition would create resentment among entrepreneurs and pleaded for a review of the decision.
