ISLAMABAD: Opposition legislators are unhappy over the release of funds for carrying out development schemes in their constituencies in the name of Millennium Development Goals and community development programmes.

They accused the government of giving preference to members of the ruling party in distribution of funds.

After the Supreme Court ruled against allocation of funds to MNAs and MPAs by the prime minister or the chief minister in the Public Sector Development Programme on Dec 5, 2013, the federal government started carrying out development schemes under MDGs.

According to official documents, around Rs32 billion have been released under the MDGs and community development schemes over the past couple of years.

The government informed the National Assembly recently that there was no provision of funds for development schemes or projects for members of the National Assembly and the Senate in the PSDP for 2015-16.In reply a question submitted by Sahibzada Mohammad Yaqub of the Jamaat-i-Islami, the minister in-charge of cabinet division informed the house that `previously, parliamentarians` programme viz People`s Works Programme-I was being financed through the federal PSDP.

Under this programme, development funds were released as per approved procedure to the development schemes proposed by the parliamentarians in their respective constituencies`.

But no allocation has been made for the said programme in the PSDP since 2013-14.

The house was told that MDGs and Community Development Programme were responsive to development work at the constituency level and envisaged provisioning of development opportunities in deficient areas by direct targeted intervention.

`Expenditure against this allocation will be made on projects identified by civil society organisations/local communities, etc.

Minister for Parliamentarian Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed informed the house that now funds would be spent through the district coordina-tion officer on development schemes proposed by the legislator concerned.

But Shafgat Mehmood of the PTI from told Dawn that he had called the DCO and even the commissioner to give his input for a development scheme in his constituency, but to no avail.

PTI chief whip in the National Assembly Dr Shireen Mazari alleged that the government was giving funds to its own MNAs and the DCOs had rejected projects submitted by her party`s lawmakers.

Imran Zafar Laghari of the PPP said the DCO concerned was responsive, but `ruling party MNAs got Rs50 million for a scheme against Rs20m spent in my constituency` Mohammad Ali Rashid of the MQM said he tried to give his suggestion, but nobody from the government had contacted him. `I only heard from my voters that some development was under way in my constituency.

Sher Akbar Khan of the Jamaat-i-Islami said under the MDGs the gap between developed and underdeveloped areas had widened.

The parliamentarian affairs minister could not be contacted for his comment.