Local body members plan anti-govt protests from today.

PESHAWAR -- The heads of local bodies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have announced that they and other councillors will stage street protests against the provincial government from today (Tuesday) to Nov 23 for 'denying' them development funds and 'clipping' their powers.

According to them, elected members of tehsil, village and neighbourhood councils will demonstrate outside the offices of the respective assistant commissioners, deputy commissioners and commissioners.

The local body members will begin a sit-in outside the provincial assembly's building on Nov 24 and will stay put until their demands are met.

The decision for protests was made during a meeting on the premises of the tehsil council here on Monday with mayor of the Capital Metropolitan Government Zubair Ali in the chair.

Complain uplift funds denied, powers clipped

The participants included mayors of the city local governments and chairmen of tehsil local governments and village and neighbourhood councils.

Mayor of the Mardan city local government Himayatullah Mayar told Dawn that a two-tier local body system was introduced in half of the province a year ago and rest of the areas seven months ago, but unfortunately, not a single penny had so far been released by the provincial government to the local governments for development schemes.

Mr Mayar, who is also the president of the Local Council Association KP, said the Provincial Finance Commission Award was declared on June 22 putting the share of local bodies in the province's annual development programme at Rs33 billion.

'Out of their Rs33 billion funds, not a single penny has been released to local bodies in violation of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Bodies Act 2013,' he said.

The association leader said after the denial of funds by the provincial government, scores of tehsil municipal authorities won't be able to pay salary to their employees and that could trigger protests.

He said several...