KARACHI: Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar has asked the director general of the Gorakh Hill Authority to submit an explanation about the misconduct in the Gorakh Hill Station project. The Interim CM sought an explanation after the reports of massive bungling and misappropriation of development funds.
Maqbool Baqar stated that despite using huge amounts of funds, the project remained incomplete and there were reports that officers concerned pocketed the funds. He also pointed out that the fleet of vehicles and 18 drivers, dedicated to the project, were misused for other purposes.
The Interim CM also said that there were reports of 12 cooks of the Gorakh Hill Project working at the homes of private persons and the resorts remained under misuse instead of catering for tourists. He asked the chief secretary to issue an explanation letter to the project director and initiate a high-level inquiry.
News reports claim that the development authority was supposed to acquire 284,597 acres of land but misused Rs23 billion in the name of developing the hill station. Reportedly, the chief minister had information about development work being shown only in papers and zero development on the ground.
Gorakh hill station is situated at a height of 5688 feet above sea level. In 1860, the British government identified it as a potential tourist spot. However, in 1988, the late Pakistan People Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto undertook the project.
It was planned that the project would have waterfalls, houses, residential apartments, motels, slaughterhouses, vocational training centres, schools, dispensaries, maternity homes, resorts, golf clubs, a zoo, a chairlift facility, a helipad, restaurants, tuck shops, and parks.