FAISALABAD, Jan 15: The city tehsil municipal administration has re-allocated the annual development budget by shifting huge amounts from one head to other and abandoned some uplift schemes.

A source close to tehsil Nazim Mumtaz Ali Cheema told Dawn that the step had allegedly been taken to utilize maximum funds in the areas of favourites and union councils falling under the national assembly constituency of federal textile minister Mushtaq Ali Cheema.

He said many councillors had been asked to start development schemes in their areas just days before the announcement of local government election schedule. The source said after re-allocation, Rs201.4 million had been set aside for the schemes presented by women, minority and labour councillors against an estimated amount of Rs130 million.

He said maximum funds out of the increased Rs71 million had been earmarked for the areas of 'like-minded' councillors so that they could use the same as 'election-stunt' during the campaign.

However, a number of schemes had also been withdrawn from the areas of opposition members, he said. The TMA bosses informed the house during a session held on Saturday that as per rules the tehsil Nazim was competent to approve the re-allocation and transfer of funds to meet the requirements of Naib Nazims.

The source said the project of water filtration plants had been abandoned which had been included in the annual development programme for 2004-2005 following demands of citizens and complaints of contaminated water.

He said after the re-allocation, the NLC, FWO and Nespak would get Rs182.5 million instead of approved amount of Rs202.5 million. Similarly, Rs7.5 million had been re-allocated for the purchase of streetlights instead of Rs25 million. A sum of Rs2 million would be spent on the construction of library instead of Rs4 million.

He said Rs5 million would be spent for sewer lines instead of Rs10 million. Rs2 million had been set aside for the purchase of vehicles for sanitation, fire-brigade and land branch against the earlier amount of Rs15 million.