Minister seeks 10 years’ report of local bodies department

Says local government’s institutions are not working properly and actively

LAHORE: Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan has directed the authorities concerned to submit a detailed report of the local government for the past 10 years. He also asked for a disclosure of the funds used for political purposes through the violation of rules and regulations in Punjab.

The minister issued the directions to the local government secretary to produce the account details of local body institutions from across the province to ascertain when and where irregularities were committed by the then rulers. He said a number of complaints have been lodged about ignoring official procedures and “getting directions from Raiwind or Model Town” to allocate funds for some projects which were not even under the domain of the Local Bodies Department.

“Heavy embezzlements have also been committed during the last 10 years and strict action will be taken after the departmental inquiry,” he warned. Abdul Aleem Khan also called for the details of posting and transfers in the department on political behest and ordered that complete data be provided about the officers deputed for personal motives. “Apparently the local government’s institutions are not working actively and each and every penny was spent by the then chief minister himself,” he remarked.

The senior minister said these practices have been curbed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, however, the corruption of the previous regime would be investigated to put the things on record and fix responsibility.

Aleem further said the government has a firm commitment to introduce such a local bodies system which would be free from all sort of political pressures and the work was on the final stage in this regard.

“In the last decade, there was a big mess in every sector in Punjab and the local bodies system was one of the examples of it. However, such irregularities will not be tolerated in future,” he said. “Every sector will have to go through strict monitoring and this process is being started from the local bodies institutions for which directions have already been issued.”

Abdul Aleem Khan said in the developed countries the local government system played the role of a backbone and provide the best possible civic facilities to the masses but in Punjab, there was a ‘toothless and useless’ local bodies system which was developed for certain purposes.