PESHAWAR, June 11: The town and Tehsil Nazims have opposed the proposed abolition of newly-created town councils in the NWFP, and called upon the National Reconstruction Bureau and the provincial government to keep intact the councils till the next local bodies elections.

The town and Tehsil Nazims from across the province held a meeting here on Wednesday. Provincial Minister for Local Government Sardar Mohammad Idrees presided over the meeting.

During the meeting, the Nazims pointed out that the NWFP government had proposed to the NRB to abolish town councils created in five districts of the province — Hangu, Nowshera, Karak, Kohat and Tank.

The Nazim Town-I, Peshawar, Mr Haroon Bilour, through a resolution, asked the minister to take up the matter with the NRB chairman in the forthcoming meeting, scheduled to be held in Peshawar.

After the local bodies elections, the provincial government created town councils in these five districts. The Nazims asked the provincial government to release grants to the newly-created town councils.

The meeting was informed that despite constant notifications the defunct district councils had failed to transfer their movable and immovable property to Tehsil municipal administrators (TMAs) and directed them to hand over all property to the TMAs, forthwith.

It was decided that town and Tehsil councils would collect urban immovable and property tax. The meeting decided that the provincial government would directly pay funds to the town and Tehsil councils received from the federal government under the head of octroi and district export tax.

Earlier, provincial government disbursed these funds to town and Tehsil councils through district government, which caused differences between the district governments and Tehsil councils.

It was also proposed to constitute development committees at Tehsil council level which would function under the supervision of Nazims.

On the occasion, the minister said the provincial government would direct the district coordination officers (DCOs) to provide vehicles to Tehsil Nazims and Naib Nazims.