ISLAMABAD, June 2: The bureaucratic actions, taken in contravention of ‘strong’ recommendations by a minister on the formation of development committee of Bari Imam’s shrine, have divided the local population of Noorpur Shahan into two groups.

The local people question the induction of non-locals in the committee.

The minister of environment and local government, vide letter number M/ELGRD-M/2001, dated December 15, 2001 had recommended the interior minister and the principal secretary to the chief executive to give representation to the locals in the development committee of the shrine.

Later, the interior ministry, vide its notification on April 3, constituted a committee for the implementation of the development plan of the shrine with the interior minister as its chairman.

The committee comprised Lt-Gen (Rtd) Mohammad Afzal Janjua, former CBR chairman Syed Riaz Hussain Naqvi, former CBR secretary Syed Najmus Saqib, Sheikh Obaidullah, owner of Bright Land Hotel Murree, and Mr Zaheeruddin of Shahzad International (Pvt) as private members, in addition to the official members.

Disputing the constitution of the development committee of the shrine, the Action Committee, Noorpur Shahan, in a letter to President Gen Pervez Musharraf, said: “The joint secretary concerned of the interior ministry, who processed the case for setting up the committee, seems more powerful to constitute the committee in contravention to the spirit of the devolution plan of the government and even not catering to the recommendations of a federal minister.”

The Action Committee complained to the president that the development committee for the shrine included five non-local members, against whom the local community had complained because of their poor role in carrying out development works in the past.

Talking about the private members of the development committee, Action Committee member Tanvir Hussain told Dawn that Gen Janjua and Mr Naqvi belonged to Jehlum, Mr Saqib to Hassan Abdal, Mr Obaidullah to Murree and Mr Zaheeruddin was a resident of Sector F-10/4, Islamabad.

Demanding reconstitution of the development committee with inclusion of the locals as private members, the Action Committee’s letter alleged that a land-grabbing mafia influenced bureaucratic channels to deprive the locals of their right to participation in the committee, despite the guarantees of local participation in the devolution plan.

It said it was shocking that a joint secretary acted in violation of the recommendations of a federal minister and the spirit of the devolution plan by depriving the local population of their legitimate right to participation in the development work of their area.

The letter alleged that the private members nominated by the interior ministry had been associated with various committees of the shrine constituted since 1978, but managed to complete only one compound wall around the shrine during the past 22 years.

It further letter alleged that vested interest were trying to protect a land-grabbing group active in the vicinity of the shrine, and were busy dividing the local population with serious law and order ramifications.