GUJRANWALA, Dec 2: Funds worth Rs537 million earmarked for projects of citizen community board (CCBs) remained unspent in the last eight years, Dawn learnt on Tuesday.

The government directed all local councils to allocate 20 per cent of their annual budget for development purpose while CCBs were established to complete development work. The city district government earmarked Rs627 million in the last eight years but failed to complete any project. Even though many CCBs put up proposals to the city district government, complex procedures put red-tape to the initiatives.

Opposition union council nazims have accused City District Nazim Fiaz Ahmad Chattha of not taking any interest in CCB-derived schemes. UC nazims and civil society activists demanded that funds be spent on roads and other projects to provide better facilities to people.

The executive district officer (community development) said Rs90 million had been spent on CCB development schemes in the last eight years and those projects include the construction of Maulana Zafar Ali Khan Degree College Wazirabad Hall.

SUSPENDED: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has suspended gas supply to 80 factories in Gujrat while the department restored supply to 42 factories after one week.

Regional SNGPL Officer Imran Altaf Sahi said the company was trying to continue gas supply to domestic consumers in winter. Also, the company regional office said that factory owners of Gujrat had already been informed about the suspension of gas supply through notices a few days ago.