Scrapping of uplift schemes: LG reps to move court against KP govt’s decision

MANSEHRA: The local government representatives have decided to challenge the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s decision of scrapping development schemes approved by the district, tehsil, village and neighbourhood councils in the budget for 2019-20.

“We have approved an amount of Rs180 million for the annual development programme (ADP) in the current year’s budget but the Local Government, Elections and Rural Development Department banned us from executing these schemes, which we would challenge in the court of law,” District Nazim Sardar Said Ghulam told reporters here on Saturday.

The district, tehsil, village and neighbourhood councils across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had earmarked funds for the execution of development schemes in the ongoing budget but the local government department through a recently issued notification barring them from any spending under that head.

“The competent authority has been pleased to order that all the local councils shall not process and approve new schemes in development budget for the year 2019-20,” said a notification issued by chief planning officer.

Another notification issued by the same department said that four-year term of the current local governments was going to end in August 2019 and section 33(3) of Local Government Act 2013 stipulates “where a new local government was to take over during financial year as a result of fresh elections, the outgoing LG shall not spend funds or make commitments for any expenditures.”

Sardar Said Ghulam said the district council could receive an amount of Rs720 million under provincial finance commission award in four equal instalments, therefore, his district government had approved Rs180 million worth of development schemes for the first quarter of financial year.

Basharat Ali Swati, the general secretary of Nazimeen Ittehad, a representative body of village and neighbourhood council nazims, said the KP government had cut their 50 percent development funds during their four-year term, but added that they should be allowed to execute development schemes approved by the councils in current budget.