LAHORE: Discrepancies have been detected in the installation of CCTV cameras at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF).

It was a Higher E ducation Commission (HEC) funded project titled `Establishment of LT and library infrastructure for new disciplines of food/energy engineering and sciences` at UAF.

The matter was brought into notice during handing over to the department of estate management.

UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Zafar Iqbal has constituted a nine-membercommittee, led by Dr Laeeq Akbar (P.O.

Estate). Othermembersinclude director IT Dr Imran Mumtaz, project director ICT Shahid Ayaz Wahla, accounts officer Amir Mahmood, web developer Muhammad Aamir Hassan, IT coordinator for ICT project Kashif Akram, technician ITRCDB Faheem Abbas Fomi, estate department`s Muhammad Ahsan and accountant for ICT project Muhammad Abdullah Rana.

The committee held a meeting to review and finalise physical verification process of CCTV cameras with allied security and surveillance equipment for its onward handing over to estate management department.

It had pointed out discrepancies during physical verification process that needed to be resolved before handover process, including equipment such as LEDs optical fiber cable, ODFs,PDUs, cameras, decoders etc other than approved brands/models have been delivered/installed.

The report submitted to the vice chancellor (a copy is available with Dawn) showed that the committee had found variation in equipment specifications as compared to approved quotations, supply order and actually deployed equipment, equipment having lesser quantities have been delivered/ installed as compared to one claimed through invoices/ bills, rates quoted by vendor are on higher side such as price of single export PDU (of Emerson brand) is around Rs24,000 as per quotation, whereas local/China assembled PDUs have been installed that costs around Rs3,500 (per unit), complete solution diagram/design have not been provided by vendor to the university and payment of vendor had been processed using signature ofunauthorised staff member of directorate other than the ITRCDB director who is designated member of committee constituted vide Notification No A-3/269/4888 dated 29/01/2016 (reference attached at F/C).

The committee finalised physical verification activity and came to the conclusion that apparently financial value of non-verifiable equipment (excluding civil work) is around Rs9.811 million. The committee also emphasised the need to physically verify civil work [part] of subject component through Engineering Construction Department in order to calculate total financial loss.

The panel recommends that a highprofile committee (excluding departments earlier involved with any matter of this project and staff members work during physical verification process) may kindly be constituted to investigate the case within a period ofmaximum one month and fix responsibility.

UAF VC Dr Zafar Iqbal told Dawn that he had constituted the inquiry committee to check and physically verify the quality of the cameras and other equipment installed for security and surveillance before the hand-over process.

He said on the recommendation of the committee the university had stopped the payment to the vendor and also would constitute a panel to check the civil work done [by the vendor].

He said the committee had found and identified several discrepancies in the project and it was the main reason for stopping the payment.

He also demanded that the government conduct a 10-year third party audit of the university to check all civil work, procurement, appointments and other things of the university.