PESHAWAR, Jan 18: The NWFP government has removed the district coordination officer and the project director of the Swabi Development Authority (SDA) after reports of irregularities in allotment of plots at the Shah Mansoor Township.

The decision was taken after an inquiry held into the matter proved that irregularities had been committed in allotment of plots by these officials, sources told Dawn.

Through a notification issued here on Jan 16, Swabi DCO Mohammad Adil was transferred and directed to report at the establishment and administration department. The district revenue officer was given the additional charge of the DCO till further orders.

Similarly, the SDA project director was called back to Peshawar through another notification issued here on Friday, the sources said.

The NWFP governor had ordered the inquiry into the allotment of plots in Shah Mansoor Township in Swabi in October last year after receiving complaints about irregularities in the process by officials concerned.

Citing findings of the inquiry team, the sources said the governing body of the Swabi had approved 12 plots of one kanal, 10 marla and five marla for employees of the SDA at government rates.

But, they said, actual allotment was made only to three top officials, including the DCO, project director and an assistant project director.

Employees of any Local Area Authority (LAA) like that of the SDA had 2 per cent quota in their respective township schemes under the rules of the Provincial Urban Development Board (PUDB), which was abolished in 2001.

Following the abolishment of PUDB, which was the administrative department for the LAAs, new rules could not be framed even after the passage of almost seven years as, according to the sources, the powers of the governing body and the 2 per cent quota for employees in plots had not been defined.

When contacted, DCO Mohammad Adil expressed ignorance about this development.

He, however, clarified that he had not applied for any plot and it was the decision of the SDA’s governing body to allot plots to government officials, including him.

“I have already offered to the inquiry team that my plot should be cancelled, if it deems its allotment improper,” he explained.

The sources, however, said the governing body had no authority to allot plots to employees of any LAA because no rules had been framed to determine the powers and functions of the SDA.

“In the absence of rules, only the provincial government can allot plots to government officials,” the sources said.—Correspondent