LAKKI MARWAT, Nov 4: Employees of Lakki municipal committee on Monday took out a procession to protest nonpayment of salaries.

Municipal Welfare Workers Union`s president Khursheed Alam Khan led the procession which started from Tanchi office and after passing on Lakki-Darra Tang road converged at Kargil chowk.

The union`s leaders said on the occasion that employees of the civic body had not been paid salaries for last two months.

They said that the provincial government had sanctioned funds to the MC Lakki from district council funds, but authorities concerned were reluctant to implement the order to this effect.They alleged that district council officials had been hindering payment of funds to the civic body.

`Without getting funds from district council the municipal administration cannot pay salaries and pension to the employees,` they maintained.

They demanded of the government to take notice of the matter and order quarters concerned to pay Rs6 million to the MC Lakki to enable it to pay salaries to its employees.

Meanwhile, an official of the district council, when contacted, said that Rs3.8 million had already paid to the municipal committee for payment of salaries in September this year.

He said that district council was again asked to payRs6 million to the municipal committee for payment of salaries and pension.

`The deputy commissioner, who also holds the office of administrator of the district council, approached the provincial secretary local government for guidance in this regard as under the policy funds meant for development cannot be utilised in non-developmental heads, maintained the official.

He said that after discussing the matter with competent authority the deputy commissioner directed the chief coordination officer to make payments of Rs2.2 million to the municipal committee for salary purpose.

`But the MC officials returned the cheque of Rs2.2 million for the reasons best known to them,` he added.