“Political patronage has increased rampant corruption in the local levels,” according to the anti-graft watch dog.
Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) – issuing a report today – revealed that no action against the corrupt due to political patronage has helped increase the corruption. The CIAA has surveyed on 3,000 people of 15 districts in the 7 provinces to find out the root cause of corruption.
“Of the total respondent, some 71.5 per cent opines that non action has increased the corruption, whereas some 37.2 per cent suggests political patronage, and some 36.8 per cent believes that expensive electoral system has led to the corruption,” the survey revealed, adding that corruption starts from the level of programme planning to implementation level.
Thus, the CIAA has asked the local governments to follow the Public Procurement Act (PPA) to check numerous irregularities, in which they – in collusion with local consumer committees and their officials – are involved in.
“The local governments have not bothered to follow the law and have been disbursing funds to contractors and other stakeholders in a haphazard manner,” the survey report reads, adding that it has been receiving number of complaints from people on various irregularities. “Consumer committees are being provided payments by local authorities in advance even before any work has started.
Consumer committees have been formed, when there the governments could not held local election for almost 20 years. They were supposed to be involved in the development activities in the local level during those years, when there were no local representatives to look at the even regular development activities. After the local elections were held after a gap of 20 years in 2017, it was largely expected that elected representatives will be accountable to the people and governance would improve. But continuation of consumer committees has become the root cause of corruption in the local bodies. Thus, the CIAA has also asked them to take action against the erring consumer committees.
The local bodies have been finalising reports of projects even before the concerned projects have been completed, reads the survey report. On the basis of the survey report the CIAA has directed all the local bodies to follow the proper laws, including the Local Government Operation Act and Public Procurement Act and its directives and guidelines to check irregularities.
The CIAA has received the highest number of complaints about irregularities at the offices related to the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, which oversees the affairs of the local governments.
“Due to the use of heavy equipment for minor works, which could have been completed by utilising local human resources, the local people are becoming unemployed,” the report also reads, adding that the equipment are also not being leased in a competitive manner. “The local bodies have not bothered to listen to the needs of the people and are not utilising local human and natural resources.”
Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) – issuing a report today – revealed that no action against the corrupt due to political patronage has helped increase the corruption. The CIAA has surveyed on 3,000 people of 15 districts in the 7 provinces to find out the root cause of corruption.
“Of the total respondent, some 71.5 per cent opines that non action has increased the corruption, whereas some 37.2 per cent suggests political patronage, and some 36.8 per cent believes that expensive electoral system has led to the corruption,” the survey revealed, adding that corruption starts from the level of programme planning to implementation level.
Thus, the CIAA has asked the local governments to follow the Public Procurement Act (PPA) to check numerous irregularities, in which they – in collusion with local consumer committees and their officials – are involved in.
“The local governments have not bothered to follow the law and have been disbursing funds to contractors and other stakeholders in a haphazard manner,” the survey report reads, adding that it has been receiving number of complaints from people on various irregularities. “Consumer committees are being provided payments by local authorities in advance even before any work has started.
Consumer committees have been formed, when there the governments could not held local election for almost 20 years. They were supposed to be involved in the development activities in the local level during those years, when there were no local representatives to look at the even regular development activities. After the local elections were held after a gap of 20 years in 2017, it was largely expected that elected representatives will be accountable to the people and governance would improve. But continuation of consumer committees has become the root cause of corruption in the local bodies. Thus, the CIAA has also asked them to take action against the erring consumer committees.
The local bodies have been finalising reports of projects even before the concerned projects have been completed, reads the survey report. On the basis of the survey report the CIAA has directed all the local bodies to follow the proper laws, including the Local Government Operation Act and Public Procurement Act and its directives and guidelines to check irregularities.
The CIAA has received the highest number of complaints about irregularities at the offices related to the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, which oversees the affairs of the local governments.
“Due to the use of heavy equipment for minor works, which could have been completed by utilising local human resources, the local people are becoming unemployed,” the report also reads, adding that the equipment are also not being leased in a competitive manner. “The local bodies have not bothered to listen to the needs of the people and are not utilising local human and natural resources.”
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