RAWALPINDI, Jan 15: The Tehsil assembly on Tuesday accused the municipal administration (TMA) officials of favouritism and violation of rules in the award of contracts and promotion of the teachers of now defunct municipal corporation school.

Heated discussion marked the proceedings of the assembly when the members refused to approve the contracts and the teachers’ promotion.

Speaking on a point of order, Chaudhry Malik Dad said Chief Officer (CO) Chaudhry Liaquat and Tehsil Municipal Officer (TMO) Col Najamul Hassan Malik misinformed the House in the previous session by stating that, under a notiication issued by the Punjab government, the Tehsil Nazim had the discretion to award contracts above Rs3 million without the approval of the House.

When the CO failed to produce the notification, the House unanimously approved a resolution to send a case to the provencial government against the CO and the TMO.

Mr Dad said all the contracts including building fees, NOC for rural building fees, licence fees, Suzuki terminal, wagon terminal, car parking and general bus terminal, were above Rs3 million, and their auction by the Nazim without the House’s approval was illegal.

He said the public park contract had been awarded in violation of rules and regulations. The contract has been auctioned till December, but, according to the local government ordinance, the contract-period is only upto June 30. He alleged that bribes had been accepted in the award of contract. The members of the auction committee also said they were not informed about the time-period of the contract.

However, on the insistence of the speaker, Sajjad Khan, the House gave approval of the contract till June 30. The speaker also formed a committee, comprising members of the graden committee, monitoring committee, auction committee and Insaf committee, to settle the issue with the contractor concerned.

Another member, Dr Shafqat Hussain Malik, objected the formation of the auction committee, saying it was constituted without the approval of the House. He demanded that a new committee should be formed.

On this, the speaker said the committee was a temporary one as it had been constituted in emergency to approve contracts that were getting delayed. A new auction committee, he added, would be formed with the approval of the House.

The TMA officials have promoted nine teachers of the schools of the now defunct municipal corporation. The House, however, refused to approve the promotions on the plea that all the schools had been placed under the supervision of executive district officer (education) after the implementation of the devolution plan.

Some members, including Chaudhry Malik Dad, Mohammad Tahir Khan, Prof Zia and Raja Hafeez, alleged that the promotions had been given on favouritism. On this, the chief officer told the assembly members that issuance of salaries and administration of these schools were still in the charge of the Tehsil municipal administration (TMA). The members said only the teachers’s salaries upto June 30 had to be paid by the TMA, whereas the administration of the schools was district subject.

Speaking on a point of order, the Naib Nazim, UC 42, Asad Mughal, accused the TMA officials of violating rules and regulations in awarding contract for commercialization fees.

According to a notification issued by the Punjab governor, commercialization fee was to be charged at the rate of 20 per cent, whereas the TMA officials had set the rate at 25 per cent, he added.

The House refused to approve the contract.

The TMO was not present during the assembly proceedings, which was objected by the members. The other TMA officials were unable to provide proper answers to the questions raised by the members.

The session was then adjourned till January 21.