ISLAMABAD: The first ever local government in the federal capital is still struggling to start proper functioning as so far it has neither funds nor proper rules put in place.

Whereas the appointment of Usman Akhtar Bajwa as the new chairman of the CDA may further add to the difficulties of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) as his predecessor Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz as a parttime head of the civic agency resolved several issues of the union council chairmen.

However, many believe that the new chairman would not extend any undue favour in terms of development schemes to the union council chairmen and would focus only on the CDA departments.`It was the mayor who while using the office of the CDA chairman got the mega project of expansion and maintenance of Simly Dam road approved though this work purely fell under the domain of the MCI,` said an official of the CDA, who requested not to be named.

The mayor ran the day-to-day affairs of the MCI and met the non-development expenditure by getting loans from the CDA.

On the other hand, federal auditors in their recent audit objections raised questions over the mixed expenditure of the CDA/MCI.

According to the audit observations: `As per notification dated 14-06-2016, 23 directorates of the CDA were placed under the administrative control of the Mayor of MCI, along with all rights, assets and liabilities by virtue of Islamabad Capital Territory LocalGovernment Act 2015 with immediate effect.

It further noted: `Accounts of 23 directorates transferred to MCI were liable to be complied separately. Budget of MCI Rs2645.946 million was released and booked for which expenditure was shown made for full amount.

The auditors observed that consolidated and compiled accounts of the CDA for June 2017 were prepared mixed, including those directorates that had been transferred to the MCI.

`This resulted into the unauthentic preparation of finance accounts of CDA for June 2017 without lawful authority.

The on-compliance of MCI accounts separately was due to weak internal control system of CDA.

Sources said the CDA was facing financial crunch and it would be difficult for it to further shoulder the burden of the MCLOn the other hand, the mayor and the UC chairmen have been raising the issue of budget and the lack of proper rules with the federal government for the last two years but to no avail.

When the mayor was also holding the charge of the CDA, most of the time the members of the MCI used to deliver speeches against his dual charges and holding him responsible for the failure of the MCL However, during the last session held on Friday and chaired by Deputy Mayor Riffat Javed, the members, particularly those belonging to the PTI, blamed State Minister for Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry for rendering the local government in Islamabad ineffective and unsuccessful.

Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz could not be contacted for comments.