MANSEHRA: As tehsil, village and neighbourhood councils in the province await the release of Rs37 billion earmarked by the last government in the budget for them, commissioner of Hazara division Zaheerul Islam on Wednesday said he would speak to authorities for the early release of those funds.

“The Rs37 billion budgetary allocations for local bodies haven’t been released. I’ll take up the matter with the finance department for an early action,” Mr Islam told a group of local body representatives during a meeting in his office.

The visitors, who were led by president of the Local Governments Alliance Mohammad Mumtaz Malik and general secretary Basharat Ali Swati, informed the commissioner about the problems of local bodies, especially a halt to the release of development and non-development funds by the caretaker government.

Hazara commissioner says he will take up matter with finance dept

Mr Islam said he would do his level best for the payment of due funding to tehsil, village and neighbourhood councils.

On the occasion, Mohammad Mumtaz Malik said local bodies were formed in the province two years ago but they had to receive development and non-development funds announced by the last PTI government in the last budget.

Mr Swati said the people were disappointed in the local government system as local bodies hadn’t executed any development project at the grassroots level due to the unavailability of funds.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz central senior vice-president Sardar Mohammad Yusuf on Wednesday said thousands of people would be provided with employment opportunities at the newly-created Hazara Electric Supply Company.

“Hurdles to the establishment of Hesco have been removed now. This company will provide thousands of jobs to technical, skilled and unskilled workers in the division,” Mr Yusuf told reporters.

Mr Yusuf, a former federal minister, said former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced mega development projects, including the establishment of Hesco, in May and work on most of them was under way or would start soon.

He said Hesco would become the 11th power company in the country to be registered by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan.

The PML-N leader said the Peshawar High Court recently allowed Hesco’s operations.

He said the Mansehra-Muzaffarabad Motorway would be built under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

Mr Yusuf said former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif had also announced a medical college for Mansehra district.

He said the federal government had formally contacted the provincial government for the early establishment of that college.

The PML-N leader also said blacktopping of the Balakot-Garhi Habibullah Road began recently after the federal government released Rs1 billion for it.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2023