In apparent defiance of a Supreme Court ban on the transfer of discretionary funds, the federal government has allocated billions of rupees for the Islamabad-Rawalpindi Metro Bus service even before the budget for the next fiscal year.
In the December 5, 2013 ruling, the top court had banned the transfer of funds from an account approved by Parliament to another as technical supplementary grant. This ruling curtailed the government’s discretionary powers, which are often used in May and June.
To legalise its move for the re-appropriation of billions of rupees for the Metro Bus service, the government on Monday submitted a plea seeking an early hearing of its review petition against the court ruling on May 15.
In its fresh application, the government submitted that the reallocation of around Rs7.7 billion is urgently required for the Metro Bus project. The move raises questions about the project commencement without the permission of the top court.
