RAWALPINDI, July 20: The expenditure of the offices of district Nazim and Naib Nazim would consume 14 per cent of the non-development budget estimated for the fiscal year 2002-03, sources told Dawn on Saturday.

An amount of Rs6.1 million will be spent on paying the salaries of the staff of these offices, meeting their contingent expenses and paying the honorarium allowed to the two top officials of the district under the local government ordinance.

This amount is more than the actual amount — Rs5.2 million — being earned by the entire district from its own sources of revenue.

The expenditure under the Salaries, Pension Contribution and Contingent head by the offices of Nazim and his Naib is almost half of what the district health department will be spending during the entire year to pay salaries to its staff.

The health department, which spends the highest amount allocated under establishment charges, has four Tehsil headquarters hospitals, 10 rural health centres, 97 basic health units, 16 mother-child healtchcare centres, six dispensaries, a sanatorium and 778 health houses in the district. The salary bill of the department’s employees is to the tune of Rs12 million with no contingent expenditure.

Social welfare department, meanwhile, has the lowest salaries bill of Rs0.7 million.

The district government will in all spend Rs37.5 million on salaries of its staff and Rs6.45 million on contingencies. Owing to revision in pay scales with effect from December 1, 2001, there has been a significant increase in the establishment charges, which have been estimated at Rs37.5 million, excluding the vacant posts, an official said.

The district Nazim’s office has a nine-member staff and will spend Rs1.25 million on their salaries and pension. The Naib Nazim’s office, which also acts as the district council secretariat, has a 26-member staff and their salaries’ bill for the whole year comes to Rs1.75 million.

Meanwhile, the offices of district Nazim and Naib Nazim spend the highest amount allocated under the contingent expenses. These two offices will spend Rs3.4 million out of a total allocation of Rs6.45 million.

Other major spendings under the head of the contingencies are refunding of advances and deposits, Rs2 million; and unforeseen expenditure, Rs1 million.

The Nazim office’s contingent expenditures have increased by Rs0.1 million over the last year, while the office of Naib Nazim has shown an increase of Rs0.6 million during the same period.

The office of Naib Nazim had received an allocation of Rs0.75 million during the last year to procure furniture and other office equipment. During the current year, again an amount of Rs1.15 million has been allocated under the same head.