ISLAMABAD, Aug 22: Differences between Nazims and ruling party members of the Parliament came to the fore in the National Assembly on Friday when the members agitated against heads of the district government, accusing them of taking political advantage of the development schemes meant for the MNAs.
“Details of our schemes are being leaked out to the Nazims, who in turn take advantage by claiming our projects to be their own,” members of the ruling party said.
“Members (of the National Assembly), who are the real representatives of the people, have to depend on the bureaucracy for the approval of their schemes while Nazims, who have huge funds at their disposal, take advantage of this situation,” the members complained.
A question regarding allocation of Rs5 million development funds attracted so much interest that the entire question-hour was consumed in supplementary questions, reflecting concerns over procedures for approval of funds.
Even National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain shared the members’ concern about the administrative system for the release of funds and called for simplifying procedures for prompt implementation of the schemes without delay.
He also directed to arrange a briefing for MNAs with departments concerned besides calling for setting up of a special cell, complaining that the existing cell’s performance was unsatisfactory. He also ruled that such complaints should not be put before the house in future.
The speaker also suggested the members to move a motion under Rule 69 of the house procedures to discuss the matter for half an hour.
Sardar Nasrullah Dareshak, meanwhile, suggested that the minister should call monthly meetings of secretaries of finance, Wapda and other departments because MNAs had to visit several times for the release of funds. “Members should not be ridiculed by making the procedure complicated,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister in-charge of the Local Government and Rural Development Major (Retd) Tahir Iqbal, while replying to a volley of supplementary questions, assured that the development funds under the Tameer-i-Pakistan programme for MNAs were being released without any discrimination.
He also informed that a summary of Rs863 million grant has also been sent to the finance ministry and the development works in different constituencies would commence soon.
He said that the ministry concerned had received 328 applications for different projects during the fiscal year 2003- 04 had been released in favour of 37 MNAs while partial funds had been released for 213 MNAs.
A total of 5,253 development projects, including 1,595 road projects, 3,331 electricity projects, 224 gas projects and 101 projects of phones would be completed during the current financial year, he announced.
About withholding of funds of different members, he said some funds had not been released as projects sent by some MNAs exceeded the ceiling in this regard causing delay.
He said that the ministry was following a procedure wherein development schemes of the members were sent to the concerned departments for estimates and as soon the schemes were approved, funds were released within seven days.
Major Tahir Iqbal also informed that lapsed funds amounting to Rs209 million would be utilised in the next financial year.