MANSEHRA, Jan 15: Muttahidda Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) government in the NWFP is considering bringing drastic changes in the local government system and reducing the powers of Nazimeen in the province.

Official sources informed Dawn here that gross irregularities had been detected in the execution of development schemes and misuse of funds by the Nazimeen in a number of districts. This would be made a ground for snatching the financial powers of the Nazimeen and making necessary amendments to the local government ordinance, they added.

The sources said that immediately after assuming charge as the NWFP chief minister, Akram Khan Durrani, held a special meeting with the minister and the secretary of the local government department, in which the matter was discussed at length.

The secretary, according to the sources, was assigned the task of initiating special audit of all the district governments in the province.

The sources said that the LG department secretary, through a letter (DS(T)LCB/(5)002, dated Dec 12, 2002), asked the director of NWFP Local Fund Audit for conducting a special audit of all the district governments up to November 30, 2002.

The sources said the Local Fund Audit director vide letter (LPVI (4) 13/2934-42) immediately deputed audit officers on Dec 14, 2002 for the task.

The first round of the audit is being conducted only in seven districts which include Tank, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Batagram and Haripur, the source added.

It is also learnt that the audit teams have completed their task in most of the districts included in the first round and were now preparing their reports.

The sources said that the process of special audit was being made more expeditious on the directives of the chief minister.

It is learnt that reports of the audit teams would be discussed first in the next meeting of the Local Government Commission and a summary would be sent to the chief minister.

The matter would then be brought on the floor of the house for a debate to obtain the desired results after taking the cabinet members and the MMA top brass into confidence, the sources concluded.