Chapter XI Chapter XI

176. Maintenance of accounts and scrutiny thereof by Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab and by Corporation. - (1) There shall be kept in such manner and in such form as may be prescribed by regulations accounts of receipts and expenditure of the Corporation. (2) The Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab, shall conduct day to day examination and audit of the Corporation accounts and shall furnish a monthly report thereon to the Corporation who shall publish monthly an abstract of the receipt and expenditure of the month last preceding, signed by the Mayor or in his absence by the Senior Deputy Mayor or in the absence of both by the Deputy Mayor and by the Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab. (3) For the purpose of examination and audit of the Corporation accounts the Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab shall have access to all the Corporation

177. Report by Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab. - The Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab shall- (a) report to the Corporation any material impropriety or irregularity which he may at any time observe in the expenditure or in the recovery of moneys due to the Corporation or in the Corporation accounts; (b) furnish to the Corporation such information as it may from time to time require concerning the progress of the audit. (2) On receipt of the report under sub-section (1) the Corporation shall take such action thereon as may be deemed necessary. (3) As soon as may be after the commencement of each year the Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab, shall deliver to the Corporation, a report of the entire Corporation accounts for the previous year. (4) The Commissioner shall cause the said report be the printed and shall forward as soon as may be a printed copy thereof to each councillor.

178. Action by Commissioner on the report. - (1) The Commissioner shall, as soon as may be, remedy defects or irregularities, if any, pointed out in the said report and shall also forward without delay to the Government so many copies of the said report as may be required by the Government with a brief statement of the action, if any, taken or proposed to be taken thereon. (2) If there is a difference of opinion between the Examiner, local Fund Accounts, Punjab and the Commissioner or if the Commissioner does not remedy the defects or irregularities pointed out in the report within a reasonable period the Examiner shall refer the matter to the Government whose decision shall be final and binding.

179. Procedure to be followed by Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab. - (1) The Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab shall audit the accounts of the Corporation with the assistance of officers and other employees subordinate to him. (2) In the discharge of his functions under this section the Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab, shall- (a) audit the accounts of expenditure of the Corporation and shall ascertain whether moneys shown therein as having been disbursed were legally available for, and applicable to, the service or purpose to which they have been applied or charged, and whether the expenditure conforms to the authority which governs it; (b) audit the accounts of debts, deposits, sinking funds, advances, suspense and remittance transactions of the Corporation and report upon those accounts and upon the results of verification of the balances relating thereto. (3) The Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab shall examine and audit the statement of accounts relating to the commercial services conducted in any department of the Corporation, including the trading, manufacturing and profit and loss accounts, and the balance-sheets where such accounts are maintained under the orders of the Corporation, and shall certify and report upon these accounts. (4) The Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab, shall, in consultation with the Commissioner and subject to any directions given by the Government, determine the form and manner to which his reports on the accounts of the Corporation shall be prepared and shall have authority to call upon any officer of the Corporation to provide any information necessary for the preparation of these reports.

180. Power of Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab to make queries, etc. and call for returns, etc. - (1) The Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab, may make such queries and observations in relation to and of the accounts of the Corporation which he is required to audit and call for such vouchers, statements, returns and explanations in relation to such accounts, as he may think fit. (2) Every such query or observation as aforesaid shall be promptly taken into consideration by the officer or authority to whom it may be addressed and returned without delay with the necessary vouchers, documents or explanations to the Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab. (3) The powers of the Examiner, Local Funds Accounts, Punjab, with regard to the disapproval of, and the procedure with regard to the settlement of objections to the expenditure from the revenues of the Corporation shall be such as may be prescribed in consultation with the Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab and the Corporation. (4) If the Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab, considers it desirable that the whole or any part of the audit applied to any accounts which he is required to audit shall be conducted in the offices in which those accounts originate he may require that those accounts, together with all books and documents having relation thereto, shall at all convenient times be made available in the said offices for inspection. (5) The Examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab, shall have the power to require that any books or other documents relating to the accounts he is required to audit shall be sent for inspection by him: Provided that if the documents are confidential he shall be responsible for preventing disclosure of their contents. (6) The examiner, Local Fund Accounts, Punjab, shall have authority to frame standing orders and to give directions on all matters relating to audit, and particularly in respect of the method and the extent of audit to be applied and the raising and pursuing of objections.