SWABI, Oct 21: The development work in the Swabi tehsil has come to a standstill because of a row between treasury and opposition members in the tehsil council, officials say.

They said that in addition to stoppage of uplift schemes taken up during financial year 2002-03, no new project had been launched in the current financial year.

Other public welfare activities also remained dormant during the past four months, they added.

The antagonism between the two groups has reached to such an extent that treasury members were unable to pass even the budget for the year 2003-04.

When Tehsil Nazim Masood Jabar tried to present the annual budget in September, the opposition did not allow him to speak, warning him of dire consequences.

ANP leader Raham Akbar, head of the opposition in the tehsil council, told this correspondent that they reviewed the prevailing situation in a meeting on Monday. “We have the support of 31 members in the 56-member house. The district Nazim has already lost the majority. How can he be allowed to run the (local) government?” he asked.

He said that because of the district government’s inability to function for the past four months disrupted development activities in the area, adding that if the current situation persisted, it would cause the past year’s development work go to waste.

Referring to the situation, Tehsil Nazim Masood Jabar, while not ruling out further delay in this regard, said that sanctioned projects had been delayed.