RAWALPINDI, Oct 30: The Tehsil Nazim, Raja Hamid Nawaz came under fire at the Tehsil council session on Wednesday for allegedly misappropriating development funds and distributing wheat among his favourites.

The council, during its five-hour session, discussed the progress of development works, complaints against the TMA officials and discrimination in distribution of wheat. However, no resolution was passed by the council. None of the issues given in the agenda could be taken up for debate.

The members of the council staged a 10-minute boycott of the session in protest against the maltreatment of one of the Tehsil council members by the police.

Naib Nazim of Union Council No 24 Masood Shah told the house that he had started development work in his constituency which infuriated Nazim Chaudhry Ijaz. He said Chaudhry Ijaz got an FIR registered against him on the plea that development works were at the discretion of the Nazim and not the Naib Nazim.

When the session resumed its proceedings, the members accused the Tehsil Nazim of spending development funds in his home constituencies — NA-53 and PP-6 — to muster support for his cousins who were contesting general elections.

The members alleged that roads were built in days, streets paved overnight and tubewells installed within a week at all union councils falling in the two constituencies.

Not only this, thousands of wheat sacks sent by the Punjab government for distribution among the drought-affected people, were also given to the Nazim’s favourites and supporters, the members further alleged.

This wheat, they said, was meant for the 34 union councils affected by the drought.

The members also demanded the early release of development funds for their union councils.

Sheikh Abdul Hameed from Union Council No 80 said the TMA floated tenders for about 53 development projects a week before the general elections, but none of these were started.

All this was a fraud and was done only to enable the PML-Q win the general elections, he added. He also produced a newspaper cutting before the reporters in which the advertisement had appeared.

Union Council No 26 Naib Nazim Asad Mughal complained that no powers had been delegated to the elected representatives despite the passage of one year.

All powers lie with the Tehsil municipal officer (TMO) and other TMA officials and the members have no say in the affairs of the Tehsil.

We have been holding only ceremonial sessions, he regretted, adding that none of the resolutions being passed by the Tehsil council are implemented.

Some of the members demanded supply of electricity to their respective localities from the budgeted amount of Rs10 million.

The TMO, in response, said the supply of electricity was the job of the district government and the TMA had nothing to do with it.