SIALKOT, Dec 4: Union council Nazims, Naib Nazims, other elected representatives of Daska have accused the Tehsil Municipal Administration officials of corruption and vowed to purge the area of the menace.

During a meeting at a local hotel in Daska on Friday night, they criticized the alleged poor performance of the TMA.

Gaga Union Council Naib Nazim Rana Ansar Ali alleged that tehsil Nazim Ejaz Ahmad Cheema illegally awarded the registration fee collection contract to his favourite contractors after receiving bribe, causing a loss of Rs9 million to the TMA. He said the opposition moved the Lahore High Court which ordered re-auction of the contract. After re-auction, the municipal administration gained a profit of Rs10 million.

Rana Ansar Ali told the meeting that Mr Cheema constructed as many as 36 shops illegally at bus stand and sold them to his favourite people at the rate of Rs30,000 per shop while the actual worth of a shop was Rs1 million.

He alleged that the tehsil Nazim had illegally auctioned Daska TMA's all contracts without prior approval by the house. Model Town UC Naib Nazim Chaudhry Jamil urged Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi to order a probe into the three-year alleged corruption of Mr Cheema.

Addressing the meeting, ruling party MPA and standing committee chairman Chaudhry Mumtaz Ali expressed a grave concern over the corruption of Daska TMA. He said the illegally built shops were demolished in the larger public interest. The MPA openly admitted that the TMA had failed in making any development in the city during the last three years.

When contacted, tehsil Nazim Ejaz Ahmad Cheema was not available while the TMA officials refused to comment in this regard.

FIVE KILLED: Five people, including two minor girls, were killed in separate accidents here during the last 24 hours.