LARKANA, April 1: The district accounts officer, Larkana, stopped salaries from being handed out to at least 200 employees of the district coordination officer’s secretariat and the office of the District Nazim as the finance department had not given approval for the sanctioned strength of the staff.

The department of finance, Government of Sindh, in a letter on Feb 19 addressed the accountant general (Sindh), all district account officers and treasury officers throughout the province saying the disbursement of salaries to government employees on the old pattern is hereby withdrawn with effect from 1.3.2002 and the salaries to them should now be paid from March 2002 onwards on the basis of the sanctioned strength of the provincial and district staffs.

As the staff of the DCO and District Nazim’s secretariat had still not received sanctioned strength approval so the district accounts officer had stopped the salaries, the sources said.

The DCO, Larkana, M. Hashim Leghari, responding to the letter intimating the secretary finance said that it (i.e. the order) would create a number of difficulties.

He said the budget was published by the finance department in Volume III of the district budget book prior to the establishment of the district government. It is neither in conformity with the rules of the devolved departments nor the rules of business published in the Sindh Government gazette of 27.8.2001 and section 14 of the local government ordinance 2001.

The DCO requested the secretary finance to withdraw these orders till the budget book volume III was set right.