Kathmandu: It has been stressed to make the deliveries of Public Account Committee, House of Representatives further effective and results-oriented. In a meeting of the Committee today, legislators expressed their concern that the response to arrears specified by the Auditor General’s report, its audit, and complaints regarding this had not been effective.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Committee President Rhishikesh Pokhrel said nine subcommittees have been formed to enhance the functioning of the Committee. As he stated, one of the subcommittees was designated to look into the arrears issues, with the Committee’s investigation into 114 complaints lodged to date still awaited.
Committee member Janardan Sharma highlighted that no discussion had been reported on the report of the Office of the Auditor’s General. He called for prioritizing the complaints as per their nature and sorting them out accordingly. Ramkrishna Yadav acknowledged the Committee’s activities have failed to yield results, expressing his concern over the lack of occurrence and the apathy on the part of relevant bodies to implement the Committee’s directions.
Prem Bahadur Ale emphasized the need for the Committee to ensure impartial and effective investigations in the alleged abuse of State’s property. He stressed the importance of resolving disputes regarding dedicated and trunk line traffic and addressing issues about alleged economic irregularities in Gautam Buddha International Airport and Pokhara International Airport.
Manish Jha echoed the necessity to regularize Committee meetings and monitor the implementation of its directions by the respective bodies. “The Committee should ensure that whether its instructions have been followed,” he stated. He highlighted that the Committee’s directions relating to the price rise of cement and iron rods have remained unimplemented by the relevant Ministry, causing consumers to suffer more.
Rajendra Kumar Karki also pointed out the non-implementation of instructions against the price rise of cement and iron rods. “The response is nil,” he stated, underscoring the need to investigate the alleged irregularities related to Gautam Buddha and Pokhara International Airports.