March 19, 2003	Wednesday	Muharram 15, 1424

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PESHAWAR, March 18: Union Council Nazimeen have demanded of the government to release Rs 358 million which has been withheld by the NWFP government on account of electricity arrears payable to Wapda.

Nazim Israrullah spoke on the issue at the District Council session, presided over by convener Dr Iqbal Khalil here on Tuesday.

He said the federal government had released this amount to the city district government against the octroi and zila tax, but finance department had yet to release it to the district government.

The provincial government, he said, had pleaded that Wapda had deducted Rs 1.8 billion at source from the NWFP government’s share and the latter held back the city district government funds.

He said town councils and union councils had no funds to meet their expenditures which also affected development schemes in the district. The provincial government could not justify its action, he added.

According to the Local Government Ordinance, 2001, he pointed out that the provincial government had no legal and constitutional powers to withhold district government’s funds and asked the provincial government to release the amount immediately.

Sirajul Haq Yousazai termed the provincial government’s decision unlawful and demanded of the NWFP governor to take notice of the issue and fulfil his legal responsibility to save the system from the complete collapse. He alleged that the provincial government was creating problems to destabilise local government system in the province.

The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) government, he claimed, did not want that the local government system took roots in the province. Other Nazimeen also criticized the provincial government policies and asked the MMA leadership to avoid issuing irresponsible statements regarding local government system.

Convener Dr Iqbal Khalil proposed that a committee be constituted which should take up the issue with the finance department and ministry of finance. Under the ordinance, he said, the provincial government could not deduct union council funds.

He proposed that a delegation of Nazimeen should hold meeting with the federal minister for water and power to inform him about the district government problems.

The city district Nazim Azam Afridi said the district government would never give up its legal powers delegated under the local government ordinance. He said the district government would not interfere in the affairs of the provincial government including development schemes.