PHC maintains status quo on ADP in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) circuit bench in Abbottabad on Friday granted status quo on the execution of Annual Development Programme (ADP) sanctioned by the Mansehra and Baffa-Pakhal tehsil councils.

The bench comprising Justice Lal Jan Khattak and Justice Ijaz Anwar ordered the status quo on the execution of development schemes worth almost Rs100 million.

It also summoned tehsil nazim Mansehra, tehsil municipal officer and other stakeholders to appear in the court on April 3 this year.

The tehsil councillors, including Saeed Khan, Farooq Khan, Mohammad Asif and Zahid Aziz, had moved the circuit bench in Abbottabad. They sought status quo against execution of development schemes, alleging discrimination in the distribution of funds and favouritism.

Munir Hussain Laghmani Advocate appeared in the court on behalf of the petitioner, stating that unfair distribution of funds by the tehsil nazim and tehsil municipal officer deprived people of several union councils of their basic rights to civil amenities.

Saeed Khan, one of the petitioners, alleged that even funds meant for the petty works and maintenance were also unfairly distributed among the councillors by the tehsil nazim and tehsil municipal officer.

“The annual development programme was about to execute when tehsil nazim and tehsil municipal officer set aside the already accomplished legal formalities and changed schemes to favour some councillors,” said Saeed Khan.

He said once e-tendering process was completed and schemes were about to be executed nobody could change them but all legalities were violated by officials and the tehsil nazim for own vested interest.