LAHORE, Dec 28: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi said on Saturday that changes in the local government system were necessary to improve the working of various departments.

Speaking at the concluding session of a training course for district Nazimeen and Naib Nazimeen here at NIPA he expressed the hope that the government would get best results through changes in the system.

He said development activities would be conducted through the people elected to the local bodies.

Mr Elahi said supervision and audit of funds was a must no matter through which source they were spent, and the government was fully aware of its responsibilities in this regard.

He said delay in the removal of hurdles in the functioning of local government representatives would not be tolerated as he wanted to make the system a success.

Meanwhile, presiding over a meeting to review the development schemes in Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan districts, he ordered immediate release of funds for small projects to be launched in the neglected areas of the province.

He asked the authorities concerned to prepare a strategy for enabling the common people to have an access to the funds for development of their area.

Mr Elahi said delay in the execution of development projects tantamount to corruption. The government would not allow the delay in projects for backward areas due to red tapism and evolve a foolproof system for their monitoring.

He directed that like Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur, Layyah and Muzaffargarh districts should also be given importance.

He approved projects for Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur which included construction of farm-to-market roads, installation of tubewells, setting up of fish farms and women training centres, and provision of electricity and potable water.

Later, the chief minister went to Islamabad to attend a federal cabinet meeting and preparations for the vote of confidence for prime minister Zafarullah Jamali.