DERA GHAZI KHAN, Sept 29: As the Dera Ghazi Khan literacy promotion plan advances at a snail’s pace, EDO (Literacy) Rasheed Khan Mazari sounds rather over-optimistic when he claims that he will establish 800 literacy centres in just two months, no matter the department has established only 40 centres so far during the last four years.

In order to achieve the status of model district in literacy development, the local literacy department is supposed to establish 9,000 centres till 2008 and so far it has been able to build only 40 of them. The mega project is being funded by Japan.

The administration and non-government organisations have locked horns over the issue as both claim credit for whatever development has taken place so far.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of standing committee on tourism development has written a letter to President Gen Pervez Musharraf, complaining that the district nazim has become an obstacle to her efforts to promote literacy.

Speaking to Dawn, MNA Mina Ehsan Leghari, who is heading an NGO Gul-i-Fatima Development Organisation, has alleged in the letter that she and her husband have been running literacy centres in Dera Ghazi Khan to enhance the literacy rate but District Nazim Maqsood Ahmad Khan Leghari is creating hurdles in their work through some local government officials.

EDO (Literacy) Rasheed Mazari denied that the nazim was creating any hurdle in the literacy project. He said the NGO in question was running 34 literacy centres merely on paper, as most of them were not functioning.

“We have served a notice on the NGO after receiving complaints from Sakhi Sarwar, Choti Bala and Tuman Leghari areas.”

When his attention was drawn towards the allegation of purchase of substandard stuff (for the centres) worth Rs3.1 million, the EDO said it had been done before his appointment by the purchase committee, headed by DCO Pervez Khusru. Three EDOs also were on the committee and they have already been transferred.

The incumbent EDO admitted that there were loopholes in the purchase but the department was not in a position to take any action against any one, as the contractor had even succeeded in drawing the security amount.

The contract for the purchase of necessary material for literacy centres was awarded to the Khan Traders (Taunsa) which is allegedly involved in supply of substandard furniture to the education department.

The EDO further alleged that the National Commission for Human Development (which is said to be working with the Gul-i-Fatima Development Organisa-tion) was doing nothing more than paperwork.

NCHD General Manager Syed Tahir Shah Bokhari told Dawn that the commission was working independently and it was not monitoring the literacy project being looked after by the district government. The district nazim could not be contacted despite repeated attempts by this correspondent.