FAISALABAD, Oct 4: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has reportedly started formal proceedings on an inquiry against the city tehsil Nazim, the tehsil municipal officer and tehsil officer (finance) for their alleged involvement in corruption and misappropriation of funds.

All the three administrators have been called to Lahore by the NAB through the Local Government Directorate General (Inspection) on Oct 5 (today). Both the senior officials - Rai Muhammad Amin and Mujeebuz Zaman Shami - and City Tehsil Nazim Mumtaz Ali Cheema will appear before the inquiry officer to counter the allegations of corruption.

They have been asked to appear before the inquiry officer on the fixed date and time along with the relevant record so that the probe could be completed well in time.

Similarly, the complainant had also been ordered by the inquiry officer to appear before him on the fixed along with all documentary proofs to substantiate the allegations levelled against the tehsil Nazim.

Sources revealed that TMA Regulation Monitoring Committee Chairman Abdul Hafeez Bawa and some other councillors had levelled allegations against the TMA administration about misappropriation of funds and running of the affairs in contravention of the Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2001.

The complainants had also alleged that the TMA administration had launched a number of developmental schemes in specified areas of the city, received heavy kickbacks in award of contracts, spent funds in violation of rules and embezzled huge amounts from different heads.

After the tug of war between a group of opposition councillors and the TMA, the latter have reportedly succeeded in striking an underhand deal with them and both the parties announced a 'cease fire' against each other. But the complaints lodged by the opposition councillors now have been put up for legal action. Source claimed that the NAB functionaries after gleaning vital information in this regard had forwarded the inquiry to respective department.

When contacted, complainant Abdul Hafeez Bawa confirmed the summoning of the TMA administration by the Directorate General (Inspection) in the inquiry forwarded by NAB. However, the tehsil Nazim or TMA spokesman was not available for comments.