LAKKI MARWAT - A row between two officials of District Accounts Office over the transfer and posting related matter led to paralysing the functioning of the entire office besides confronting the government employees, pensioners, contractors and other relevant people with problems.
Through a notification (AC(5) 1078 dated 30/11/2012), the Accountant General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa transferred and posted Mumtaz Khan as District Accounts Officer Lakki Marwat.
Mumtaz took over the charge and requested his predecessor (sitting DAO) Farhad to hand him over official seal.
But Farhad allegedly refused and approached higher quarters concerned of the provincial government for guidance as the transfer order of Mumtaz did not contain any direction for him regarding for further posting. On the pretext, he also refused to relinquish the charge of office.
On the other side, Deputy Director Treasury and Accounts through a letter (5-35/DT/10/ dated 05/12/2012) declared the posting of Mumtaz Khan as illegal and directed the sitting DAO Farhad to continue supervision of charge with enthusiasm.
The letter says that the AG KPK issued the posting order of Mumtaz Khan as DAO without having any authority and clearly interfered in the affairs of provincial government.
A copy of letter was also forwarded to the management of Lakki Marwat National Bank branch with the instructions not to entertain signatures of any other official except DAO Farhad Khan.
The newly posted DAO Mumtaz Khan, however, did not lose heart and got issued a letter (1-35 (164)/DAO General/Vol-VII/4687 dated 11/12/2012) from Accountant General Office to the manager of NBP Lakki regarding release of payment under his signature.
The situation took an ugly turn on Wednesday when some pensioners and contractors among them started making hue and cry because their routine works had got stuck in the district accounts office since the last two weeks.
The row between the two officials and unwise tackling of the matter by higher authorities concerned also affected release of payments and signing of cheques against federal, provincial and district funds.
It also affected release of public accounts payments.
“We are visiting the district accounts office on daily basis to get our genuine works done but in vain”, a pensioner and some contractors told this correspondent at the District Headquarters Complex Tajazai.
They said that they would not allow officials to get their genuine works delayed on the pretext of tussle between them over posting and transfer.
They asked the officials to spare themselves for public service, otherwise the affected people especially pensioners, government employees and contractors would launch a protest against them.
They also requested the higher authorities concerned to take notice of the matter and resolve the row between officials of district accounts office without any delay.