SHANGLA: The local government representatives in Shangla have urged the provincial government to release their pending salaries, saying they have not been paid salaries for the last 15 months.
The LG members expressed the concerns during a session, which was organized by a non-government organization Lassona here at Alpuri on Friday, where representative of the Europe union Sardar Iftikhar, Muhammad Fayaz, and the local NGO officials were present.
During the question-answer session, the local government members came from various village councils of the Alpuri tehsil said that overall LG system was good but substandard construction work done by contractors had tarnished their reputation.
“The local government system would get a boost if the contractors system is eliminated in future. The councillors can get the schemes completed in a better way by ensuring quality work,” said Mohammad Alam, village nazim of Pirabad.
He said that they were quite happy and optimistic before contesting the election in 2015 because the provincial government had claimed that councilors would have powers at grass roots level, but with the amendment in LG laws in 2015 certain powers had been taken from them, which had affected the LG system.
Ali Baaz Khan, village nazim of Daulat Kaly, said that they had not been paid their salaries and other office expenditures due to which they were facing financial problems.
He claimed the owners had locked their offices over non-payment of rent. He said the local government department should at least release funds for their salaries and office expenditures.
Gul Amrooz, a councilor, asked the government to ensure that in the upcoming LG setup did not face funds shortage for salaries and completing uplift projects in their respective areas.
The Europe union representatives assured the LG members that they would execute project with the consent of the councilors of respective areas.
“The project was meant to enable environment for right based inclusive development and improved governance in Shangla and Swat districts,” the project field officer Muhammad Said Ali Haider said.
He said sessions would be conducted with the community and LG members to raise the locals problems and then the issues will be shared with the line department heads and they would sort out issues fallen in their domain, while the rest would be sent to provincial authorities for quickly resolution.
The NGO further said that an office to be established in tehsil level for information, beside it a website will be launch where local citizen would have submit their complaints, district and tehsil annual development planes will also be shared on that website.
They said, they have focus on four major issues, education, health, jobs and agriculture, meant to get stood the locals on their own feet.
