PESHAWAR: With just four months left to the end of the current fiscal, the local government department is struggling to use the much-trumpeted Rs30 billion funds allocated for the local bodies in the province.

The reason cited by the relevant officials for it is the absence of infrastructure and human resources at the department.

The officials told Dawn that though eight months of the financial year 2015-16 had passed, the LG department had yet to utilise a single penny of the funds.

They said the use of Rs30 billion by June 30 was impossible if technical and administrative staff members weren’t immediately appointed to the offices of assistant directors responsible for the execution of development projects suggested by the three-tier local bodies in all districts of the province.

The officials said the current staff at the assistant directors’ offices was tasked with the use of around Rs2 billion development funds before the introduction of the new LG system by the current government in April 2015.

Dept lacks infrastructure, human resources to spend money by June 30

According to them, the PTI-led provincial government had allocated Rs30 billion for local governments at district, tehsil, and village and neighbourhood levels after the May 30, 2015, elections.

Of the funds, Rs13.1 billion was for village and neighbourhood councils and Rs8.587 billion for the district and tehsil governments each.

An official said currently, the officials at the local government department and its offices set up in district level were scratching their heads about how to use such a huge amount of money in a short span of time with little technical and administrative staff members at their disposal.

He said the finance department had released Rs700 million for 346 village and neighbourhood councils of Peshawar only.

The official said the village and neighbourhood council nazims had so far just passed budgets and identified development schemes.

He said the actual work on schemes would begin after a lengthy process of PC-1 preparation, floating of tenders and bidding among contractors.

“The preparation of PC-1s is the responsibility of sub-engineers. There are only three engineers and four sub-engineers in the office of the assistant director for development schemes in 346 village and neighbourhood councils,” he said.

The official said the sub-engineers were also tasked with executing the city district government’s schemes regarding sanitation.

“Three engineers and four sub-engineers previously worked for the erstwhile 92 union councils having a meagre fund. They have been divided into 346 village and neighbourhood councils and given huge funds,” he said.

The official said though the Local Government Act, 2013, was introduced over two years ago, the local government department had not done homework for the establishment of three-tier local government system with unprecedented development funds.

He said for the successful execution of the development funds, the capacity building of the department was necessary.

“The local government department must conduct a comprehensive needs assessment survey in line with the government’s vision otherwise the unspent fund will put the government in an embarrassment situation,” he said.

When contacted, local government minister Inayatullah Khan said his department had engaged the technical staff i.e. sub-engineers from other departments for the ‘timely’ execution of development schemes suggested by the local bodies.

“Around 100 sub-engineers have been spared by the irrigation water management services department to help us execute development schemes. They will join us shortly,” he said.

The minister also said 35 more sub-engineers appointed to the Local Council Board would start working in the offices of the assistant directors on completion of the ongoing training.

He said the recruitment of 44 sub-engineers through the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission was in final stage.

“Once sub-engineers assume the charge, the use of funds will happen quickly,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2016