QUETTA: Major financial irregularities amounting to Rs. 16.8 billion have been revealed in the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Program in Balochistan, according to a special audit report.
The report highlights that frequent transfers of project officers severely hampered the project’s progress. Out of the targeted 106.5 million trees, only 12.5 million were actually planted.
Due to the failure in achieving targets, a loss of Rs. 15 billion was incurred. Additionally, no record was provided for Rs. 27.8 million, while the absence of proper monitoring and evaluation led to a waste of Rs. 550 million.
Suspicious expenses of Rs. 20 million were noted in the establishment of mega nurseries.
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Moreover, Rs. 50 million in taxes were not deducted, and Rs. 9 million was paid based on fake reports. The report also revealed that an unauthorized payment of Rs. 6 million was made for extinguishing forest fires in the pine nut forests of Sherani.
