Audit on CAAB finds losses in revenue

Non-realisation of nearly Tk 96.66 million and US$ 9.66 million from different organisations and airlines has caused significant revenue losses to the government exchequer, a primary official audit has revealed.
Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh (CAG) conducted an audit on the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) between February 12 and February 23 of 2012 for the fiscal year (FY) 2010-2011.
The audit showed the CAAB had a claim of about US$ 12.1 million on 17 airlines.
But the CAAB realised only US$ 6.25 million against the total claim and failed to recover US$ 5.84 million. This has deprived the organisation of revenue earnings to the tune of US$ 5.84 million, the CAG report said.
The report also revealed that in the same year the CAAB had a claim of a total Tk 10.19 million to seven organisations as rent for allotment of spaces.
But the CAAB realised Tk 6.42 million from those agencies. The authority was thus deprived of revenue of nearly Tk 3.77 million, the report found.
The CAG report said, while conducting audit of Shah Amanat Airport between April 10 and April 17 of 2012, it was found that the airport authority was not collecting the aeronautical charges from various airlines regularly.
The airport authority had a pending bill involving Tk 13.29 million non-aeronautical charges for various airlines as rent of rooms and other spaces to various airlines.
It also had bills involving Tk 52.96 million and US$ 0.94 million remaining pending with various aviation companies for quite a long time.
According to the navigation charge of the CAAB, airlines are bound to pay the charges within 15 to 30 days of issuing the bills.    The audit report also revealed that Shahjalal International Airport had a claim of nearly Tk 35.02 million as space and office rent on 18 organisations, out of which the airport authority realised only Tk 21.51 million causing the government a loss of nearly Tk 13.50 million.
The audit was conducted between February 29 and March 08 of 2012.
Besides, the CAG mentioned that the CAAB did not realise Tk 2.08 million as space and room rent from the Aviation Management Services (Bangladesh) Ltd which installed the scanning machine at the Cargo Village of CAAB. The rent was not paid by the firm from June 01, 2009 till November 30, 2011 to CAAB.
The Shahjalal Airport authority had a claim of outstanding amount of around Tk 1.21 million to M/S Saptarshi Syndicate which took lease of a photostat shop of 80 sq ft in front of the Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agent Association office.
The airport authority realised only Tk 0.38 million from the lessee which caused the government a revenue loss of about Tk 0.83 million.    
The Sylhet Osmani International Airport authority failed to realise Tk 0.37 million outstanding bill from two lessees as room rent. The Jessore Airport Authority could not realise nearly Tk 1.99 million surcharge of landing fee from two private airlines, about Tk 0.32 million surcharge of embarkation fee from two private airlines. Besides, the CAAB did not realise extra 6.0 per cent surcharge every month from them for late payment as per rules.
The Cox's Bazar Airport authority could not realise the pending aeronautical and non-aeronautical charges of about Tk 4.33 million and Tk 1.53 million respectively from nine aviation companies.
The CAG asked the CAAB to identify the people responsible for non-realisation of the amount along with production of vouchers of the realised money.
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