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Jawzjan council accused of interference

author avatar
8 Nov 2011 - 15:48
author avatar
8 Nov 2011 - 15:48

SHIBERGHAN (PAN): Officials of several departments in northern Jawzjan province complain provincial council members are interfering in their affairs and warned to resign en mass if the interference continued to take place.

“If the public representatives continue to interfere into our activities, we will resign from jobs in a mark of protest,” Shiberghan Mayor, Mohammad Zahir, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

He accused the provincial council head of meddling into their daily works. He said the public representatives insulted an employee of the municipality in public a few days ago when the employee tried to remove encroachments from roads.

Shopkeeper Ahmad confirmed he saw the provincial council head abusing a municipality employee in public. “Such bad behavior causes public distrust on the council,” he said.

Similarly, the Rural Rehabilitation and Development Department officials also accused the council members of creating problems for them.

“The council chief has asked the department a dozen times to dig wells in line with his wishes,” the programme manager at the Rural Rehabilitation and Development Department, Eng. Mahiyar Siddiqui, said.

He said the council had the right only to monitor the department’s activities and had no authority to dictate them.

The Traffic Department chief Col. Mohammad Ikram Elyar said the council members forced them to release owners of vehicles and rickshaws having no number plates. He said it was not the job of provincial council members to order other departments.

Shiberghan residents say it would have been better if the interference of council the members was aimed at resolving their problems, but they had their own interests.

Resident Ghulam Sakhi said the public representatives were misusing their authority.

A Faidabad district resident Mohammad Saleem said the council members had been working for their own interests instead of solving people’s problems. He said people of the district were faced with a number of problems including transport, health and draught.

However, the provincial council chief, Maulvi Abdul Hai Hayat denied interfering into the activities of government institutions, saying sometimes they gave advice to departments on issues.

“Sometimes we cooperate with departments in performing some activities, but it should not be called as interference,” he said.

On abusing a municipality official, he said he only tried to prevent a policeman and a municipality employee from victimizing roadside vendors

Another member of the council, Abdul Haseeb, also denied their interference into the activities of the government departments.

“Any kind of interference by the provincial council in the affairs of institutions is illegal,” he said adding the issue would be discussed in a meeting of the council.

myn/ma

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