GUJRAT, July 24: A Nawaz-league MPA has broken a lance with the tehsil nazim by arrogating himself the task of carrying out the city’s desilting drive on the plea that the latter has “refused to release funds” for the project.

Gujrat Tehsil Nazim Saadat Nawaz Ajnala, who is backed by the PML-Q, has failed to launch the all-important project despite MPA Haji Nasir Mahmood’s repeated reminders to him to release funds.

The MPA has now launched cleanliness of stormwater drains by engaging private workers and collecting donations from party workers and citizens. A tug-of-war has erupted between the tehsil nazim and MPA Haji Nasir over the issue. Information gleaned by Dawn revealed that Haji Nasir twice visited the tehsil nazim to ask him to launch the desilting campaign of the city’s old stormwater drains of Chah Trehng and Shah Hussain to enhance their capacity to the optimum level. The MPA claims that the TMA has special funds of Rs70 million for the desilting projects of the two localities.

The TMA’s sanitation branch, however, did not start work on the project much to the chagrin of the citizens.

Drainage of sewer and stormwater has been one of the basic problems Gujrat has been facing for the last three decades. Former chief minister Pervaiz Elahi had provided Rs800 million for rehabilitation of the sewerage and drainage system of his hometown two years ago and although major work had been done on the project, the public complaints have increased manifold.

MPA Haji Nasir had recently announced launch of a fund-raising campaign for the cleanliness of drains and donated money from his own pocket.

He claimed that Rs600,000 had been collected for carrying out the public-welfare scheme.

Speaking to Dawn, Haji Nasir accused the tehsil nazim of ignoring the problems of the people by not releasing the funds for the drive.

Saying that the project is estimated to cost Rs2.5 million, he claimed that he had launched the desilting of the Chah Trehng drain by involving private workers and arranging machinery on his own.

Tehsil Nazim Saadat Nawaz Ajnala denied the allegations and instead blamed the MPA for meddling in the affairs of the TMA and ‘disgracing’ the officials and workers.

The TMA funds, he said, were public property which could be spent by following procedures and rules.

He alleged that Haji Nasir had been seeking cash for payments to the private sanitary workers, but the TMA could not release funds in cash to anyone.

“The TMA is bound to present a scheme in the tehsil council for its approval. Once approved, the officials concerned are supposed to check quality of work after which the TMA issues cheques to the contractor.”

Instead of going by the book, he alleged, the MPA was more interested in self-projection.

He claimed that he invited the MPA to join hands with him in carrying out welfare projects, but that shouldn’t be at the cost of any official’s prestige.

Meanwhile, PML-N District President Malik Hanif Awan has called on the tehsil nazim to initiate reconciliation, but differences between Mr Awan and Haji Nasir have deepened.

It is learnt that on the directions of the tehsil nazim, Tehsil Municipal Officer Sarfaraz Paracha refused to give office to Illyas Gill, who has just been appointed by DCO Sardar Javed Akram his co-coordinator for the TMA.

The Punjab government on Thursday transferred TMO Sarfaraz Paracha and headquarters chief officer Shahid Farooq.

Sources said the DCO and MPA Haji Nasir Mahmood had persuaded the Punjab government to transfer the TMO and CO for ‘non-cooperation’.

DDO Illyas Gill and an official of local government department, Syed Jamil Haider Shah, were likely to be appointed TMO and CO, respectively, sources said.