PESHAWAR, April 23: The NWFP Assembly on Wednesday deplored the way the local government department had passed on false information to MPAs about their development schemes.
Local Government Minister Sardar Idrees faced a volley of supplementary queries by MPAs who disputed his information about the financial role of district Nazims and under-execution projects in different parts of the province.
The session, presided over by Speaker Bakht Jahan Khan, started one hour late.
Commenting on the attitude of the local government department officials during the question hour, Abdul Akbar Khan, parliamentary leader of the People’s Party Parliamentarians, said: “I have never experienced such a ugly situation. I think the minister has been provided with false information by his ministerial staff”.
The house referred three questions raised by Nisar Safdar Khan, Pir Mohammad Khan and Atiqur Rehman to the standing committee on the local government department for a detailed discussion on the issues raised by the MPAs.
Most of the MPAs accused district Nazims for bypassing district councils. They indicated that there should be curtailment of Nazims’ powers.
Speaking on his adjournment motion, Akbar Khan urged the government to suspend the Mardan Nazim, Raza Khan, for initiating “rebellion” against the provincial government. Referring to the statement of Nazim, published in a local Urdu daily, Akbar Khan said the Nazim had directed his subordinate officials not to comply with orders of the provincial government.
According to the Local Government Ordinance, Akbar Khan said the provincial government was the appointing authority but the Nazim had refused to accept the authority of the provincial government.
The speaker advised him to take up the issue on Thursday as there was no time to initiate a debate on it.
Earlier, MPA Zar Gul Khan from Kala Dhaka said a former Nazim of Mansehra, Azam Khan Swati, who had contested for the National Assembly seat from NA-21 Mansehra, had misused his office and by-passed the district council. During electioneering Mr Swati had announced development schemes for NA-21, bypassing the district council, he said.
The speaker referred his questions to the standing committee on the local bodies for discussion and solution of the matter.
MPA Nisar Safdar told the house that Abbottabad Nazim Ghulam Mustafa had ignored some of the union councils and doled out over Rs36 million development funds to selective councils.
The minister for local government said there was no criterion laid down in the ordinance on equal distribution of funds.
The speaker referred the question to the standing committee to ascertain the exact position of the issue. Pir Mohammad Khan’s question about distribution of over Rs2,284 million octroi share of the province to 24 district councils and 44 municipal committees was also referred to the same committee.
MPA Atiqur Rehman said Hangu Nazim had spent Rs27 million without getting approval from the district council.
Expressing ignorance of the issue, the minister for local bodies requested the speaker to refer the matter to the standing committee on local bodies.
Akbar Khan urged the house to initiate work on Mineral Act as the NWFP had no such law. The speaker referred the issue to the standing committee on the mineral and industries to prepare recommendations for the Act.