LAHORE, Dec 11: The Punjab government’s lack of authority over the spending of development funds by the district governments is making official circles apprehend massive bungling.

“The district governments are an abyss in which Rs9 billion has been thrown by the provincial government this fiscal year without having any mechanism to conduct its audit. This is like giving a carte blanche to the district governments,” top officials informed Dawn on Thursday.

The accounts of the provincial government are audited by the Auditor General of Pakistan, whose reports are sent to the provincial Public Accounts Committee for recommending action against those found misappropriating public funds.

Each district government has been given between Rs500 and Rs600 million for development activities this year.

Officials say the development activities are conducted by the EDO (works and services), who is answerable only to the district Nazim and is not under the control of the provincial government. And in case of a collusion between the two at any place, it will be hard to stop plundering of the funds, they add.

The audit report of the development is to be presented before the district council. The officials say,” if the Nazim is able to maintain his hold over the council, the plundering, if any, will die down there.”

The development budget is given to the district governments through a single line transfer and the province has again no authority to check re-appropriation of funds from one scheme to another by all of them. The Nazim is authorized to do whatever he likes, say the officials.

The district governments’ authority to approve schemes up to Rs20 million is another leeway given to them to use the funds without allowing the provincial government to question them.

“A district government is like a state within state. And a decision would have to be taken to have some semblance of the government at their level,” they say.