Sukkur’s Beautification Marred by Irregularities and Maladministration

SUKKUR: Several beautification projects in Sukkur have been subjected to corruption and irregularities under the city’s former mayor, Arsalan Islam Sheikh, elected on Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) ticket in 2016 to run the city.

The former head of the Sukkur Municipal Corporation (SMC) spent a whopping Rs 150 million on different beautification projects including uplifting and rehabilitation of parks and fountains and development of green belts.

The ill-administration has left many development projects incomplete, while it was also learned by News360 that the contracts of different parks were allotted to party’s stalwarts and that too errantly with setting aside technical, financial, and legal feasibilities.

Sukkur Ex-Mayor Arsalan Islam Sheikh had claimed to award a contract of 32 public parks in the city to the private partners through open auction. However, the claim has no basis, even, the appointment of consultants for the project was also useless.SMC has not retained possession from the contractors, after completion of uplifting projects, of over a dozen monuments installed at different locations of the city after 18 months.

Owing to this non-possession, most of them have dilapidated. Dr Jehanzaib, who was a confidante of the ex-mayor has now come up against him due to some rifts between them over personal and financial issues.

He disclosed the corrupt practices done under the nose of Islam Sheikh during his four-year tenure.

Sources said that the contracts were awarded to Dr. Jehanzaib abdicating legal and technical formalities.

The contractor confirmed this too while talking to News360.

Dr. Jehanzaib, who was also awarded two contracts worth Rs 670 million, questioned why the development projects were not endorsed by the ex-mayor.

Further, the contractor said that why his name was written on the plaques of Latif and Qasim parks if he was not awarded contracts of them, as claimed by the Arslan Islam Shaikh.

He suggested that the ex-mayor should not have started beautification projects in the city on which no homework was done and there was a lack of administrative authority.

He held the SMC responsible for wastage of millions of rupees spent on the city’s beautification.

Moreover, Dr Jehanzaib maintained that SMC should not have opted for preparing projects related to the plantation, green belts, and corners when it did not have a properly operational horticulture department.The contractor of Latif and Qasim Parks asserted that they had finished more than a dozen monuments, fountains, and green corners across the city some two years earlier but, he added that SMC has not taken control of them yet.

“Hundreds of saplings have withered, fountains have run dry and green corners have been damaged due to negligence of the corporation”, Dr Jehanzaib added.

He said that being the contractor, they would have to bear all expenses when the sites would be handed over to the SMC in the future.

This will cost us higher than the actual cost of the project, he added.

Dr Jehanzaib disclosed that a contractor is bound to pay some 30 percent in kickbacks to different departments within SMC before getting the contract after winning the bid.

On a question, he revealed that the contracts of both parks were awarded to him errantly. “ The mayor called me at his home and awarded contractors of Latif and Qasim parks”.

The contract of the Latif Park was initially awarded in Rs 7 million however the cost was increased as Dr Jehanzaib resisted due to excessive work requirements in the park.

Furthermore, Dr Jehanzaib said that SMC did not have a horticulture department and the saplings and plants are watered by fire brigades. The immense pressure of water uproot the plants, he added.

He claimed that the SMC Parks Assistant Director only has surface knowledge about horticulture and the projects are kicked-off without sensitizing the public. Owing to this, the saplings become food for pastoral animals.

The unruly corruption in awarding contracts for Sukkur’s beautification without keeping in view the Sindh Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (SPPRA) rules and regulations has marred its beauty.

Regarding the irregularities in contract awarding, the former mayor refuted all claims while talking to News360.

Click Play Button To Watch This Video

Ex-Mayor asserted that Dr Jehanzaib was not awarded any contracts.

Earlier, when the relations were stable between the two, the ex-mayor had maintained that Dr Jehanzaib has experience in parks’ development as he owns a nursery and therefore he was awarded a contract.

Arsalan Sheikh once even said that he had expressed displeasure on the contractor for not completing the project in time and also seized the call deposit.