District govt fails to deliver

It is a matter of concern that the efficiency of the district government regarding the provision of basic facilities has decreased to an alarming level. Tehsil governments (Taunsa Sharif, Dera Ghazi Khan, Tribal Area tehsil) have failed to provide drinking water to the people.

There were protest demonstrations in all three tehsils, and the Dera Tehsil chief officer was beaten up on the charge of failing to provide drinking water through water supply schemes.

The water supply scheme in Fort Munro could not be restarted due to this reason, and there is acute shortage of drinking water during the current summer season, which has affected tourism. Private companies and groups are selling drinking water in containers in the three tehsils.

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Budget worth Rs20 million allocated for human medicines could not be utilized because of problems in procurement of medicines. Lack of medicines and proper service at the district headquarters hospital, Dera Ghazi Khan, are creating difficulties for the patients. A fund of Rs20 million for the establishment of a cardiology ward and the procurement of an ambulance largely remained unutilized.

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According to the financial record of district development, Rs27 million worth development fund could not be spent. The fund for citizen community boards amounting to Rs79.76 million remained in the hands of the district government as only two out of 103 schemes could get Rs0.3 million.

A fund of at least Rs20 million allocated for the establishment of a stadium remained in bank also this year. The fund for education under the Punjab Education Sector Reforms could not be utilized due to differences between district Nazim Jamal Leghari of the Millat Party and parliamentarians of the PML-Q from Taunsa Sharif tehsil.

Despite the merger of PMLs and Millat Party, disharmony exists between the two at the district and tehsil levels. On the charge of not approving schemes envisaged under this project, Jamal Leghari received at least two notices from the high-ups.

Many issues could not be addressed by the authorities. These include the scandal of illegal charging of district complex tax, tampering with the seniority list of patwaris and illegal promotion of non-resident patwaris of the previous settlement of Dera Ghazi Khan by violating the land record act manual of the revenue department and court orders as pointed out by the Anjuman Patwarian, advertising fee scandal of Dera tehsil and audit objections in the financial record of Taunsa tehsil.

After the merger of the PMLs and the Millat Party, the district coordination officer who earlier used to criticize the performance of district Nazim Jamal Leghari has become silent over the work of the district government.

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The tribal area Nazim claims that there is one MBBS doctor in the area who is working at hill station Fort Munro while there is no veterinary doctor in the whole tribal area tehsil which is a grazing place of livestock and vulnerable to animal diseases which have spread in adjacent Balochistan.