RAWALPINDI, Oct 23: Municipal services have been greatly disrupted due to the political rivalry in the Punjab government as the Annual Development Programme (ADP), which is usually announced in July, is yet to be released to the districts, including Rawalpindi.

The PML-N led Punjab government has withheld funds under the ADP, apparently because majority of the districts across the province are governed by nazims associated with the opponent party – Pakistan Muslim League.

The ADP funds are usually given to districts and are distributed among town municipal administrations (TMAs) for undertaking uplift projects, provision of amenities, and other civic purposes.

Well-placed sources told Dawn on Thursday that civic services and uplift projects in Rawalpindi district had come to a virtual halt as no funds were available with the town administrations.

Since City District Nazim Raja Javed Ikhlas and Rawalpindi’s seven town nazims are associated with the PML, the Punjab government is reluctant to release money for the development projects as they would go to the credit of the rival political party.

Usually the funds under the ADP are given to the districts in July, however, even by the end of October no money had been received by the municipal authorities, resulting in severe crisis in big cities like Rawalpindi.

The contractors, who were engaged by the authorities for constructing roads, streets, installation of sewage pipelines or water supply network, have abandoned the work half way as the executing authorities have no money to pay for their services.

Town Municipal Officer (TMO) in Potohar Town Malik Mumtaz conceded that “uplift work is at a standstill” due to the ban on release of ADP funds, saying that the people were suffering a lot as the town administration was unable to deliver municipal services with the available resources.

City Nazim Raja Javed Ikhlas told this reporter that the Punjab government was not providing the funds because there would be utilised for development programmes attributed to the PML supporters.

He said the district administration had repeatedly urged the provincial government to release the funds “in the larger interest of the general people” but to no avail.

He regretted that the civic infrastructure of the district had been badly damaged due to delay in maintenance work.

Mr Ikhlas said the Punjab government was distributing funds through MPAs and through the district administration, adding that “people at grass-roots level will not benefit from the method adopted by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif”.

It is to be mentioned that the majority of funds in the district’s account comes from the ADP.