March, 31 2005	Thursday	20 Safar 1426

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SARGODHA, March 30: Three executive engineers of irrigation department are charged with misutilizing funds worth over Rs12 million in the last three years. The funds were reportedly earmarked for renovation and repairs of a residential colony for the department employees during 2001-04. Punjab Irrigation Minister Chaudhry Amer Sultan Cheema has taken serious notice of this malpractice by XENs Chaudhry Muhammad Fazil, Muhammad Shafiq Dogar and Syed Fayyaz Husain Bokhari the other day. He has directed Mr Bokhari to stop investing a huge amount on the renovation of official bungalows and divert the funds for repairs of a road and improvement of sewerage of Canal Colony.

The minister has also ordered an inquiry into allegations.

CCBs: Development funds under the Citizen Community Board have not been utilized in the district for the last three years as a result of which over Rs178.8 million have been lying unutilized.

This was stated at a meeting to review the working of the boards and development of projects under them.

The meeting, chaired by District Nazim Malik Amjad Ali Noon, has approved only 63 schemes under the programme and earmarked Rs144 million rupees (80 per cent of the share). The rest of the amount would be contributed by the CCBs.

An insider told this correspondent that some of the officials concerned, including those from community development finance and planning, have got registered various boards comprising their families. The schemes had not been initiated because of differences among them over distribution of money, he added.

He further alleged that an XEN of the Public Health Engineering Department had got registered three boards comprising members of his family.

He said a stamp vendor of Tariqabad, who enjoys patronage of a Nazim and councillor, had got registered five boards and was likely to get amount from department by dint of his influence.

When contacted, the finance and planning division officials alleged that most of the boards had provided fake cheques due to which the department was not approving the projects.

COLLAPSE: Concrete lining along Mitha Lak Rajbah near Donkey Bridge (Khota Pulli) has collapsed within days of functioning because of alleged use of substandard material by the contractor. The irrigation department has closed the flow of water in the distributary and started repairs on the project, which was recently completed a huge amount.