RAWALPINDI, Sept 3: The new local government finance system introduced from July 1 has hit snags and the district government employees are yet to get their pays for the past two months, sources said on Tuesday.

The Punjab government, while issuing the notification for the new finance system, had stated: “The payment of the salaries of district government staff, whether belonging to the provincial government or the defunct local council, shall, with effect from July 1, 2002, be made out of and charged to the District Fund’s Account Number 4, against the respective budgetary allocations.”

“For this purpose, each district government shall approve a schedule of establishment of the staff, previously paid out of the local fund, in the prescribed manner, and forward it to the Accountant General Punjab for ensuring smooth payment of salaries after pre-audit authorization,” it had further said.

The district council had approved the schedule of establishment along with the supplementary budget, but the approved strength was not communicated to the section concerned due to which the salaries could not be transferred to the relevant head (Account No. 4).

In view of this situation, the Punjab government, as an interim arrangement, ordered the officials here to revert to the old system of payment of salaries to the staff so that the inconvenience being caused to the employees could be avoided. Despite the issuance of new orders, the salaries could not be released and most of the district government employees, particularly those from the departments devolved to the district government, were still awaiting for their salaries.

The employees believed that the accounts office authorities were responsible for the whole situation as they did not intimate the relevant section in time about the staff strength. Hence, they added, the relevant section could not revert to the old system.

District Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani, while talking to this reporter about the issue, said it was not limited to the Rawalpindi District, rather district governments throughout the province were faced with the same problem.

A resolution submitted with the district council by Shaukat Aziz Bhatti in this regard has held the district accounts officer (DAO) responsible for the state of affairs. The resolution, yet to be taken up by the council, stated that the entire record was ready and only required the approval of the DAO, which he did not give, thus causing the delay.

The DAO could not be contacted in the office for his comments. The district government has a sanctioned strength of 24,528. The salary bill of the district government, as approved, in the district budget is Rs1579.95 million.