FAISALABAD, June 20: The Punjab government has reportedly expressed its concern over repatriation of officers and officials working with Tehsil Municipal Administrations to parent departments without approval of the competent authorities.

A directive from the Punjab Local Government and Rural Development Department additional secretary to tehsil Nazims of the province asked for withdrawal of all such orders under which the employees had been suspended or repatriated to their parent departments.

It was noted that at times, officers posted by DCOs or the Punjab government at TMAs were suspended or unilaterally directed by the latter to report to their parent department without any plausible reason and without reference to the respective competent authority.

According to the Punjab Tehsil/Town Municipal Administrations Rules of Business-2002 read with Punjab Local Government Board (Conduct of Business) Rules-1984, in case an officer posted by DCOs or the Punjab government is not required by the TMA, the matter may be referred to the concerned DCO and the provincial government for necessary orders.

Under no circumstances an official may be transferred or relieved of his duties arbitrarily, the additional secretary added. Any TMA order violating these instructions may be withdrawn forthwith, he maintained.

Scores of officials were transferred to various district departments, TMAs and Union Councils from the provincial Public Health Engineering, Housing and Physical Planning, Social Welfare, Labour, Health, Education and Excise and Taxation Departments on the eve of implementation of devolution plan on Aug 14, 2001.

A majority of these employees manoeuvred their repatriation to their respective parent departments without getting orders from the competent authorities. A good number of them had been running from pillar to post to get back to the parent departments due to which the government was facing problems in running the affairs of local councils.