PESHAWAR, Feb 10: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani's act of using the district governments' grant as his discretionary fund during the current financial year has come in conflict with the Provincial Financial Commission (PFC), official sources say.
According to the current year's PFC award, 10 per cent of the district development funds has to be distributed among district governments as grant, on need basis.
The sources said that the NFC had recommended changes in the old system under which the said fund was kept at the disposal of the chief minister and was spent on development projects carried out on the instructions of the chief minister.
"The fund used to be treated as discretionary fund by the chief executive in accordance with the PFC award's provisions," said an official. However, he added, "this year the commission decided to do away with the practice making it (fund) a grant to be distributed among districts on need basis".
As per the new PFC award, 10 per cent of the development funds is placed at the disposal of the provincial government instead of the chief executive.
However, the sources pointed out, the chief minister kept treating it as his discretionary fund and directed the authorities concerned to release Rs33 million during the first six months of the current fiscal for carrying out development schemes.
Sources said that out of the total funds distributed so far, Rs15 million went to Bannu, the home district of the Chief Minister Durrani, and a portion of funds was distributed as donations among various private sector organisations and seminaries. An amount of Rs2 million was released for the establishment of the emergency police service - Rescue 15 - in Bannu, Rs5.12 million was released for carrying out village electrification schemes in different parts of the district, Rs50,000 was donated to Madressah Hafizul Quran, Rs886,000 was spent on the installation of a tube-well in Jillani mosque, Rs335,000 was used on the electrification of Mohallah Kach Kot, Rs82,000 was released for the construction of a water tank at Masjid Aisha, Rs159,000 was provided for replacing the 11kv line in village Sikandar Khel Bala in Bannu, Rs162,000 for the installation of a 100kv transformer and electricity poles at Kotka Talib Shah, Bannu; Rs1.5 million was released to town-III, Bannu; Rs100,000 went to Darul Uloom Rahmania as donation, Rs200,000 was donated to the Bannu district bar council's library, Rs100,000 was released for the procurement of furniture for the bar council, Rs100,000 was donated to the Maulvi Muhammed Haleem Trust, Rs140,000 was provided to a new settlement in village Dogar Umer Zai and Rs4.26 million was released for the construction of a bridge on Lora Canal at Barth in Bannu.
In Dera Ismail Khan, the home district of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam to which Mr Durrani belongs, Rs200,000 was donated to Madressah Babul Najaf, Rs200,000 to Jamia Najaf Kotli Imam Hussain, Rs300,000 was given for the pavement of a street in Haji Mora village, Rs500,000 was released for four union councils and Rs213,000 was released for electricity supply to Pak Saival village.