FAISALABAD, Oct 9: A tussle between the City District Government Faisalabad and towns has intensified as the Lyallpur Town nazim has filed another petition in the Lahore High Court, this time, to seek the return of former TMA’s property transferred to the CDGF by the Punjab government.

The sources said the local government had been facing financial crisis after being converted into City District Government Faisalabad. It requested the Punjab government to help it clear dues of the National Logistics Cell (NLC) and Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) on account of the Faisalabad Road Rehabilitation Project and transfer the former TMA’s property to it. Consequently, the Punjab government accepted its demand and approved the sale of the property after its transfer to the CDGF.

After the provincial government orders, the Lyallpur Town administration approached the local government secretary with a request to intervene in the matter. But, reportedly, the secretary asked the town administration to take up the matter with the Zila Mushawarat Committee. The town administration, however, was not ready to move the committee as it was being headed by the city district nazim.

The sources said town officials did not expect justice from the committee as the district nazim was among those people who were very much interested in the property. A district government officer said the property transferred to the CDGF was worth billions of rupees, adding if decision was given in favour of the town, it would become difficult for the district government to clear outstanding dues of the NLC and FWO.

The sources said petitioner and Lyallpur Town nazim Rana Zahid Mehmood had also made the Punjab government party in the petition. He stated in the petition that after the creation of the city district government his town was declared the successor to former tehsil municipal administration and all its immovable property stood transferred to it automatically. But, the petition said, the DCO illegally directed the EDO (Revenue) to transfer the immovable property to the CDGF.

What prompted the town nazim to move the court was believed to be the “negative response” of the local government secretary who reportedly refused to entertain his (nazim’s) complaint.

The sources said under the Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2001, the provincial secretary was bound to listen to the aggrieved party. They said the town nazim had made the local government secretary, CDGF, district nazim, DCO, EDO (Finance and Planning, Revenue), DDO (Revenue) Lyallpur Town and Section officer (Estate) party in the writ petition.

The sources said that the petitioner also cited in the writ that the immovable property belonging to Madina Town where nazim Chaudhry Ali Akhtar, who is the younger brother of works and communication minister Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, and Iqabl Town, where nazim Sajjad Haider Cheema is the nephew of federal textile minister Mushtaq Ali Cheema, had not been transferred to the CDGF.

When contacted, city district nazim Rana Zahid Tauseef expressed his ignorance about any writ petition filed by the Lyallpur town and said: “If litigation continues, how can we serve the masses”. He said the litigation would delay construction of roads.