BAHAWALPUR, Aug 11: The Punjab government has withheld development funds approved by the district council after the district council refused to include development schemes recommended by the members of the Punjab Assembly (MPAs), Dawn has learnt.

The district council approved its annual budget in June amounting to Rs4.4 billion, which included Rs1.4 billion for development works and Rs2.9 billion for non-development allocations.

The development budget included the development schemes recommended by union council nazims.

The house imposed the condition that the schemes should be approved within 15 days by the district development committee. Dawn learnt the Local Government secretary on July 31 authenticated non-development budget as the amount was mainly allocated to establish district government departments. But the development budget had yet to be approved by the government.

It is learnt the government withheld the budget after the district council refused to include development schemes recommended by MPAs.

An insider told Dawn that District Nazim Tariq Basheer Cheema reportedly did not include 70 per cent schemes recommended by the executive district officer (finance) in the budget.

CHEAP BAZAAR: Daily sassta bazaars will be organised in all the cities of the district in Ramzan, said District Coordination Officer Muhammad Mushtaq Ahmed at an open court in Yazman.

Special price magistrates will raid markets during the month to provide essentials on fixed prices to consumers.