RAWALPINDI, Nov 14: As general elections are just few months away, the Rawal Town Municipal Administration (RTMA) has put its annual development funds at the disposal of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers and local leaders.

A senior Official of RTMA told Dawn on Monday that the administration had invited the PML-N parliamentarians and local leaders at a meeting on Thursday (November 15) to discuss how to spend its annul development funds for fiscal 2012-13.

He said that though PML-N Rawalpindi City President Sardar Naseem had not been invited to the meeting, the Commissioner office had directed the Rawal Town Administration to take him too on board on development schemes in NA-55.

He said the RTMA had decided to start development schemes worth Rs200 million in 46 union councils of the town.

The official said MNAs Hanif Abbasi (NA-55)  and Malik Shakil Awan (NA-56), MPAs Sheharyar Riaz, Ziaullah Shah, Ghulam Raza and Raja Hanif and PML-N president would recommend development schemes worth Rs20 million each.

When contacted, Rawal Town Administrator Saif Anwar Jappa said that in the absence of nazim or naib Nazim and other elected representatives of the people, Punjab government had directed to initiate uplift schemes from its development fund on the recommendations of local lawmakers two years ago.

He admitted that the RTMA had invited all the lawmakers on November 15 to come to its offices and identify development schemes.

He said that the RTMA would prepare the schemes and after approval of the lawmakers, start development work.

“The development work will also start in some areas of NA-55 on the recommendations of PML-N president as per the directives,” he said and added that it was not new thing as RTMA has been working on this pattern for the last four years.

However, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Rawalpindi chapter expressed its resentment over the issue and expressed his fear that the PML-N would use government funds for the promotion of their candidates in two National Assembly and four provincial assemblies constituencies.

“It is a part of pre-poll rigging,” said Syed Shujaat Haider, PPP Rawalpindi spokesman, while talking to Dawn.

He said that the civic body should start development schemes on the recommendation of their union council offices.