LAHORE, Nov 3: No allocation of special funds to the national and provincial assemblies will be necessary because the district Nazimeen have been made responsible for the development of their respective areas under the new local government system.

This was stated by the Punjab Minister for Local Bodies Brig Hamid Saeed Akhtar (retired) on Sunday. He was talking to newsmen after presiding over a function held in connection with the Allama Iqbal week.

“It is not the job of assembly members to build drains, roads and other municipal works which is the responsibility of the local bodies,” he added.

To a question, the minister said that the provincial assemblies could scrap the local government ordinances if they desired so as the law was not sacrosanct. “I think they (the assemblies) would like to continue the system. However they can amend the law to make further improvements, if necessary.

He said that the Punjab government had provided funds to the Nazimeen for carrying out necessary development works in their respective districts for which development plans were prepared.

He said that the previous practice of allocating funds to each assembly members for carrying out development works in his constituency was wrong. After the devolution of power to the local bodies, development of a district was the responsibility of the Nazimeen and “there is no need for allocation of funds for the same purpose to the assembly members.”

He said that there would be no clash of interests between the district Nazimeen and the members of the national and provincial assemblies in a district as both have separate responsibilities to fulfil.