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4 months on, municipality yet to pay flour sellers

4 months on, municipality yet to pay flour sellers

author avatar
5 Oct 2020 - 15:38
4 months on, municipality yet to pay flour sellers
author avatar
5 Oct 2020 - 15:38

QALA-I-NAW (Pajhwok): Despite the passage of four months, the Badghis municipality has not yet paid sellers seven million afghanis for 3,500 bags of flour it purchased for the free bread scheme.

Flour sellers in the capital of the western province complain their business has suffered a lot due to the non-payment of the money by the municipality.

Residents and local officials allege corruption in the purchase of 840 bags of flour, saying the consumption of this amount of flour has not been verified.

Jamaluddin, a flour seller and municipality contractor, recalls that he had signed a contract for providing the municipality 4,340 sacks of flour (317 tonnes) in cooperation with 10 other dealers.

Each sack of quality Kazakh flour was sold for 1,895 afghanis, he explains. But instead of making profit, he grumbles, they suffered a loss of 30 afghanisper bag.

The flour was distributed to bakeries in accordance with two contracts inthe presence of local authorities and members of the provincial council, butfour months on, flour sellers have not been paid a single penny.

Although the flour dealers have been approaching different departments over the past four months,they are yet to receive their money.

Jamaluddin added10 individuals had sold the municipality 4,340 bags of flour, each purchasing the commodity from merchants. With each passing day, he carps, their problem is worsening.

“Believe us, when werequest the officials concernedfor payments, they come up with lame excuses. We are told to get approval from this or that official,” he continues.

Najeebullah, another flour seller, has been in a similar dilemma. He has not been paid despite selling the flour cheaper in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He wants the municipality to process their documents and release their money as soon as possible.

The dealers claim having documents for each bag of flour distributed to bakeries in the presence of local administration officials and public representatives.

Provincial Council Chairman Abdul Aziz Bek, meanwhile, confirms receiving a barrage of complaints from flour sellers, who are yet to be paid their money.

 

 

 

 

 

He informs funds for the purchase of flour has reached the customs department, but the relevant authorities have failed to implement the process.

“For four months, flour sellers in Qala-i-Naw have been running from pillar to post, but have not yet received their money, which is their right,” he comments.

Abdul RaziqSediqi, a journalist based in Badghis, says: “The municipality of Qala-i-Naw purchased flour from dealers during the coronavirus outbreak four months back. But the sellers have yet to receive their money despite reminding local authorities many times.The money may have been embezzled.”

On the other hand, a number of inhabitants lash out at the bread distribution process. They say the bread was distributed only once every three days.

The flour purchased was delivered by the relevant authorities, who may have stolen it, Badghis dwellers believe.

Syed Mobin, a resident of Qala-i-Naw, told Pajhwok: “If the deserving people were distributed bread one day, they had to wait for three or four days before a second round of distribution.”

Why no payment to contractors?

Pajhwok’s findings show that a delegation involving the former governor, mayor and members of the provincial council had purchased 4,340 bags of flour.

Based on the findings, the government dissolved the delegation and formed another team comprised of representatives of the Attorney General Office, National Directorate of Security, civil society and customs departments, as well as municipality.

Although the delegation appointed by the government opposed the previous flour purchase and launched an investigation that indicated a difference in documents of flour purchase and consumption of 840 sacks.

Arbab Sheikh Al-Islam, head of Badghis civil society institutions and the oversight board for the bread distribution in Qala-i-Naw, said the delegation had been appointed at a time when the purchase process had been completed.

He added the documents related to the purchase of 3,500 bags of flour have been processed so far and the money spent on buying flour would be paid to sellers by the custom department next week. He acknowledged concerns regarding the 840 bags of flour and the money for this would not be paid until all issues were resolved.

According to him, the procurement board has also approved the consumption of 3,500 bags of flour, but it did not confirm the use of another 840 bags. For this reason, the 1,591,000 afghanis cost may not be paid.

However, it has been decided the relevant authorities would pay 50 percent of the price to the flour dealers before buying it. Unfortunately, it did not happen and the payment of the total amount has not happened despite the end of the scheme several months ago, he explained.

Arbab Sheikh Al-Islam informed under the law, he could not sign the documents of the flour sellers, But finally, with the mediation of elders, ulema council, local representatives, the flour sellers’ documents were signed.

“We have suspended the payment because the process was not transparent. But with the cooperation of local scholars and elders, the documents were signed,” he added.

Flour dealers also said during the signing of the contract, the mayor had promised paying them five million afghanis in advance. But the promise remained unfulfilled.

In an interview with Pajhwok, Halima Rahpaimayee, an official of the customs department, confirmed the concerns about 840 bags of flour. She said her department would pay the flour dealers if they produced valid documents in accordance with the law.

“On Thursday, some documents were received by the department from the flour sellers. These papers will be scrutinised and the cost of flour paid if there is no illegality,” she added.

The official said the flour purchase and distribution process had been carried out by governor’s house and municipality officials. The customs department had no role in the process.

Documents about 4,300 flour bags

Mayor Abdul Qader Kamran said during the coronavirus, a contract was signed to buy flour for the free bread distribution scheme in the presence of provincial council members. The process was conducted in line with the contract, he insisted.

Later on, the oversight committee was created in accordance with the procedure. The committee was comprised of representatives of civil society and some other departments. Some of the departments did not sign the documents of flour dealers for several months, fearing prosecution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kamran stressed the need for the transparency in the cost of distributing bread to the people of Qala-i-Naw. He said 20 million afghanis had been allocated by the government for the free distribution of bread. Actually, eight million afghanis were spent.

The mayor confirmed the contract for the free distribution of bread in Badghis had been signed in the presence of provincial officials, PC members, custom department and local representatives.

He said 4,380 sacks of flour had been consumed in the free bread distribution process. Relevant documents are available, but the payment is yet to be made. The payment to flour sellers is their legal right and the customs department must pay them in two phases.

Concerns about the embezzlement of money allocated for the distribution of bread in the province are considered a serious challenge and there have been complaints of corruption in some provinces.

“This Investigative Report was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Pajhwok and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.”

sa/mud

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