RAHIM YAR KHAN: District Council Chairman Azhar Khan Laghari has cancelled tenders for 517 development works worth Rs49 million in 139 union councils due to contractors’ foul play.

District Officer (infrastructure and services) Qamar Abbas told this correspondent on Saturday more than 300 contractors had divided development works of 139 union councils among each other and did not compete in tenders. This practice annoyed many other contractors who could not submit even their fees for the release of tenders. Some insiders shared this scheme on the social media.

Some council members said that most of members had registered their relatives or friends as contractors.

Deputy opposition leader Masood Sadiq alleged that the budget of more than Rs1 billion for the development works was presented in the house on July 20, 2017 but despite the incomplete quorum, the budget was approved illegally by treasury benches. He said that according to budget rules, the breakup of all development schemes should have been mentioned in the budget.

He said that on Sept 27, 2017 the chairman called the session of the council again without informing the members of the treasury and the opposition and got the approval of already approved development schemes which was illegal.

He said that he under the Local Government (LG) Act section 104/105 sent an application to the LG secretary to declare the illegal budget null and wide but to no avail.

On Jan 4, 2018 Masood along with other members filed two writ petitions in the Lahore High Court, Bahawalpur bench, on which the court ordered the secretary to release the speaking order but that order had not been implemented.

District Council Chairman Leghari and chief officer Khalid Bubbar did not attend the call.

Deputy Commissioner Sucrat Amman Rana told Dawn that this was the internal matter of the district council.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2018