GUJRANWALA: Candidates were disappointed on Wednesday owing to the rumours that the Punjab government might not hold local bodies election on Jan 30 after the Lahore High Court’s verdict on cancellation of recent delimitations.

Aspirants for LG election said they were in a fix whether or not to continue with canvassing. The hopefuls said they had spent considerable money on arranging corner meetings and other election paraphernalia. And now they were disappointed over likely three to four months delay in polls. They alleged that the government seemed to be least interested in conducting local bodies election and transferring powers to union councils.

On the other hand, the returning officers continued scrutiny of nominations and vetted papers of as many as 1,000 aspirants on Wednesday.

Over-all 11,000 candidates are in the field against 98 union councils of rural and 73 of the city. The returning officers had already rejected the nomination papers of around 50 aspirants on various technical grounds on Tuesday.

Scrutiny would continue till Jan 4 in accordance with the election schedule.

Graft cases: The anti-corruption establishment (ACE) on Wednesday registered 16 corruption cases against as many officials of provincial highways department, including an executive engineer and sub-divisional officer after an inquiry.

ACE Regional Director Muzaffar Khan Sayal said the highway department got constructed 30-km road from Hafizabad to Sukheki at a cost of Rs32 million while inquiry officers Deputy Director (Technical) Ijaz Akber Bhatti and Sub-Engineer Tariq Aziz Lone unearthed Rs9.6 million worth of embezzlement.

Corruption cases were registered against Divisional Executive Engineer Malik Iqbal Awan, SDO Hafizabad Qaiser Ilyas and contractor Ishtiaq Ahmad. Similarly, Khiali Town tehsil municipal officer (TMO), town officer (revenue), two building inspectors, Sadar SHO and an investigation officer besides Narowal District Officer (Roads) Shakil Rifat and Sub-Engineer Irfan Ahmad were also booked in corruption cases after an inquiry proved them guilty.

EXCISE RECOVERY: The excise and taxation department claimed on Wednesday to have recovered Rs750 million from defaulters till Dec 31 during a special drive launched against them.

Regional Director (Excise) Ahmad Saeed said the Punjab government had fixed Rs145 million target while about 51 per cent was recovered.

He said Rs53 million were recovered under motor tax head, Rs45 million under property tax besides other recreation, professional and permit tax etc. He expressed the hope that the remaining target would be achieved till the end of the current fiscal year.