Govt to bail TMAs out of financial crunch

PESHAWAR, April 1: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is working on a comprehensive plan to financially support the tehsil municipal administrations (TMAs) affected by militancy and recent floods. Under the plan, the government will give Rs10 million grant each to the newly established TMAs, and also set up Endowment Fund for the TMA bearing additional development expenses. This was stated by the Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti while chairing a high-level meeting held at the Frontier House on Friday to discuss TMAs related issues. He said the TMA showing efficiency would be encouraged, according to a handout. The meeting was also attended by Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour and officials of the local government and rural development department. Officials of the local government and rural development said that they urged the government to financially support the TMAs which were facing liquidity crunch and have had their infrastr ucture shattered due to militancy and floods. The officials said that they impressed the government to provide the TMAs with one-time grant to help them establish revenue pools to meet their expenditures. Mr Hoti said local government institutions played key role in providing improved civic facilities like streetlights, clean drinking water, and abolition of encroachment, adding, the TMAs should also concentrate on efforts to improve their revenue sources. The meeting agreed to spend the development budget of the TMAs on the schemes which were prioritised from the next fiscal year by the concerned department. The chief minister directed the concerned officials to suggest workable solutions to the problems related to TMAs properties, utility bills in one month time. The meeting conditionally agreed to shift the resources to the weak TMA from the Provincial Finance Commission, however, the same would not be utilised on the salaries of the TMA employees. Mr Hoti said the proposed amendment in Local Government Ordinance 2001 would be finalised by the end of the current fiscal year.