Rs17,88,177 recovered from GCU VC as penal rent

By Khalid Khattak

LAHORE: THE Punjab government has recovered an amount of Rs17,88,177 from Government College University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Aftab as penal rent for his residence.Sources in the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) told The News on Tuesday that the GCU VC had been paying normal rent for his residence at 4-Club Lane, GOR-I, Upper Mall, since Sep 12, 2004, adding that since the GCU was an autonomous institution, its VC was not entitled to have an accommodation belonging to S&GAD on normal rent. All those belong to semi-government services/autonomous institutions had to pay penal rent instead of normal rent if they wanted to get accommodation belonging to the S&GAD, they added. The sources maintained that the GCU vice-chancellor had been occupying the GOR-I residence since he was principal of the then government college (GC). At that time, he was entitled to pay normal rent since the GC was a public sector college, they said, adding that after the GC was raised to the status of a university, the VC was supposed to pay penal rent instead of normal rent. “However the GCU VC continued to pay normal rent instead of penal rent”, they said. The sources further said the matter came to light recently when the GCU VC applied for getting extension regarding the his accommodation. A S&GAD letter, addressed to Dr Khalid Aftab, dated Nov 18, 2008, whose copy is available with The News, states: “I am directed to inform you that you are not entitled to an accommodation belonging to the S&GAD, thus you will have to pay penal rent and that non-drawl of house rent allowance from an autonomous body’s budget has no use for the Government of the Punjab”.Following this, the GCU Assistant Treasurer paid the outstanding amount on Dec 23, 2008, a copy of the said challan is also available with The News. When contacted Additional Chief Secretary Javed Aslam said as the GCU was an autonomous institution, its VC was not entitled to accommodation belonging to S&GAD on normal rent. He said the government recovered outstanding amount as penal rent at 60 per cent of the pay since Dr Khalid Aftab had only been paying normal rent since he became the GCU VC. When contacted Dr Khalid Aftab refused to comment.

Source: The News International
Wednesday, January 07, 2009