MULTAN, Nov 20: Local regional office of the Anti-Corruption Establishment has initiated a probe into the irregularities committed allegedly by the city tehsil Nazim, Mian Faisal Mukhtar.

The ACE took notice of the complaint filed by a former official of the Multan Municipal Corporation, Mureed Kazim Baloch, who had alleged irregularities in posting and transfers in the corporation.

The city TMA has been looking after the MMC affairs since the inception of the new local body system under the devolution plan last year.

The complainant had pointed out that dispenser Mohammad Rafiq had been made tax inspector, vaccinator Zahid Mahboob bill clerk and vaccinator Mohammad Sajid Qureshi a union council secretary by changing their cadre in violation of civil services rules and a decision of the apex court.

He said auditors had raised objections to the ‘illegal’ change of cadres, but the TMA authorities had not so far bothered to reply.

He further alleged that the city Nazim had posted matriculates Syed Tahir Shah and Naeem Changezi as chief food inspector and food inspector, respectively, while the appointment against the posts required at least a graduate preferably in science. He alleged the TMA authorities received a handsome amount to make illegal appointments.

The complainant said some 800 daily wagers of the corporation had been made workcharged employees to cut their salaries by Rs506 per month. In this way, he said, the so-called savings of Rs4.58 million per annum under the salary head would be spent on the perks of the city Nazim and his team of cronies.

He said the expected misuse of ‘savings’ from the salaries of the sanitation staff was evident from the fact that the TMA authorities had not so far replied to the audit objections raised about the utility of the amount saved from the salaries.

An ACE official told this correspondent that the complaint had been declared fit to investigate after preliminary investigation.

Two boys burnt: Two boys were burnt to death in Meerwala village, some 100km from here, late Tuesday night.

Reports said Allah Bachaya ran a tea stall housed in a wooden kiosk besides working in a nearby ginning factory.

On Tuesday night, he went to the factory leaving his sons — Abid (12) and Sabir (8) — sleeping in the kiosk. An earthen lamp reportedly fell down on a heap of phutti lying in the kiosk and caused a fire which engulfed the kiosk in no time.

The boys were dead before any rescue efforts could be made.