PESHAWAR, Feb 21: All the four town councils of the city district have refused to hand over the Building Control Agency (BCA) and Micro Municipal Services (MMS) to the city development and municipal department (CDMD).

A joint meeting of the Nazims of the councils on Monday took a decision to this effect. Nazim Town-I Haroon Bilour presided over the meeting. A row developed between the NWFP local government and rural development department and the town councils when the transfer of the BCA and MMS to the CDMD decided.

The Nazims rejected the provincial government decision. They said the province could interfere in the matters of another body only after bringing amendments to the existing law.

They appealed to the chief minister and NRB chairperson to take notice of the situation and ask the department concerned not to interfere in the affairs of the town councils.

If the provincial or the city district government did not release special grants to the town councils, the TMA would hand over the responsibility of water supply, sanitation, streetlights and other administrative affairs to the district government. Mr Haroon Bilour told Dawn that the decision had been challenged in the Peshawar High Court and the court fixed Tuesday for hearing.