Mansehra approves Rs730m development programme
PTI walks out of council session claiming funds were unequally allocated
PTI walks out of council session claiming funds were unequally allocated PHOTO: ONLINE
MANSEHRA:
Amid protests by the opposition, the district council of Mansehra on Thursday approved a Rs730 million annual development programme for the fiscal years 2015-16 and 2016-17.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which makes up the opposition in the 88-member council, has threatened to challenge the programme in court.
The district council in Mansehra met on Thursday, with Convener Ghulam Murtaza Tanoli in the chair, to deliberate over the Rs730 million annual development programme.
Tehsil status granted to Darband in Mansehra
District Nazim Sardar Said Ghulam presented details of the nearly 3,000 developmental schemes worth Rs730 million that had been proposed by members of the council.
PTI’s 12 members in the council, led by Shahid Rafique, however, protested against the scheme. He claimed that the opposition’s input had been ignored.
The PTI demanded equal distribution of funds among members of the council rather than allocating funds for political purposes. They then walked out of the house while threatening to challenge the budget allocation for these schemes in a court of law.
The house, however, pressed on with a vote on the proposal through a show of hands. Members from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Fazl, Jamaat-e-Islami, Qaumi Watan Party, and the Pakistan Peoples Party, making up a majority of the council’s members, voted in favour of the scheme and passed it.
Ghulam, the district nazim, condemned the attitude of PTI’s members. He said that the way PTI members of the council boycotted Thursday’s session was exactly what their party leaders have been doing at the national level for the past three years.
Human capital development in Pakistan
“Their national leadership does not want development in the country and create obstacles one way or the other. Their followers in Mansehra district council are also doing the same,” he said, adding that to impede the process of development, opposition members were opposing a fair process to distribute funds. He urged PTI members to avoid playing petty politics on developmental schemes, claiming that schemes addressing public issues have already been delayed and that common people, not leaders, were suffering due to the delays.
Renaming Mansehra by-pass
Later, a few resolutions were adopted by the house. A majority of councillors voted to rename a new bypass road in Mansehra after Abdul Sattar Edhi.
They also approved the appointment of Jehangir Naseem Khan, Munir Lughmani, Mehboob Advocate and Aslam Khan Bafa to a panel of chairmen of the house. Separately, 20 monitoring committees were approved. The house also approved a programme to set up new tourism spots in the district.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 4th, 2016.
Amid protests by the opposition, the district council of Mansehra on Thursday approved a Rs730 million annual development programme for the fiscal years 2015-16 and 2016-17.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which makes up the opposition in the 88-member council, has threatened to challenge the programme in court.
The district council in Mansehra met on Thursday, with Convener Ghulam Murtaza Tanoli in the chair, to deliberate over the Rs730 million annual development programme.
Tehsil status granted to Darband in Mansehra
District Nazim Sardar Said Ghulam presented details of the nearly 3,000 developmental schemes worth Rs730 million that had been proposed by members of the council.
PTI’s 12 members in the council, led by Shahid Rafique, however, protested against the scheme. He claimed that the opposition’s input had been ignored.
The PTI demanded equal distribution of funds among members of the council rather than allocating funds for political purposes. They then walked out of the house while threatening to challenge the budget allocation for these schemes in a court of law.
The house, however, pressed on with a vote on the proposal through a show of hands. Members from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Fazl, Jamaat-e-Islami, Qaumi Watan Party, and the Pakistan Peoples Party, making up a majority of the council’s members, voted in favour of the scheme and passed it.
Ghulam, the district nazim, condemned the attitude of PTI’s members. He said that the way PTI members of the council boycotted Thursday’s session was exactly what their party leaders have been doing at the national level for the past three years.
Human capital development in Pakistan
“Their national leadership does not want development in the country and create obstacles one way or the other. Their followers in Mansehra district council are also doing the same,” he said, adding that to impede the process of development, opposition members were opposing a fair process to distribute funds. He urged PTI members to avoid playing petty politics on developmental schemes, claiming that schemes addressing public issues have already been delayed and that common people, not leaders, were suffering due to the delays.
Renaming Mansehra by-pass
Later, a few resolutions were adopted by the house. A majority of councillors voted to rename a new bypass road in Mansehra after Abdul Sattar Edhi.
They also approved the appointment of Jehangir Naseem Khan, Munir Lughmani, Mehboob Advocate and Aslam Khan Bafa to a panel of chairmen of the house. Separately, 20 monitoring committees were approved. The house also approved a programme to set up new tourism spots in the district.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 4th, 2016.