MANSEHRA: The representatives of local governments have demanded of the authorities to make parent teacher councils (PTC) accountable as funds meant for welfare of schools are being embezzled by these bodies.

`The parent teacher councils are supposed to overlook affairs of their concerned schools and spend funds on petty construction and other welfare schemes, but funds are being embezzled as these councils are not accountable to the departments concerned,` Basharat Ali, the nazim of Safada village council, told journalists on Sunday.

He said that almost nazims of village and neighbourhood councils in the district were unanimous over making PTC accountable to people and the departments concerned.

Mr Ali said that each school was being provided Rs1 million to Rs1.5 million annually to be spent through PTC but signatories, head teaches and member from community embezzled the money instead of utilising it properly.

`I got many examples of corruption in PTC funds when I checked the record of various schools but I want government to ensure audit of schools across the district to check wrong practices,` he said.

Mr Ali said that PTCs were constituted to address the issues faced by the students but it couldn`t work independently as a head teacher or principal of the school was also head of the council concerned. He said that potable water was not available in majorly of the schools in the district and their boundary walls were at the verge of collapse but PTC funds were not being utilised to resolve those issues.

`I would suggest to the government to ensure first the audit of funds spent through PTC and then decide future of these councils,` said Mr Ali.

MAN KILLED: A man was killed and 12 others were injured in two different incidents here on Sunday.

In the first incident, a lobourer drowned in the Kunhar River in Balakot. The local divers fished out his body from the river.

Police said Mohammad Arshad of Khund was taking bath when he slipped into the deep water. In the second incident, 12 people sustained critical injuries when two vehicles collided with each other in Dodial area.

The injured were taken to King Abdullah Teaching Hospital from where four of them were referred to Ayub Medical Complex, Abbottabad. Correspondent