HYDERABAD: People’s needs ignored in budget, say members
By Our Correspondent
HYDERABAD, July 1: The members of the district council on Tuesday said that budget 2003-4 was prepared in utter violation of the rules and regulations and that it was vague, unsustainable and not service-oriented.
Resuming debate on Tuesday, they argued that the bureaucracy had concentrated only on non-development expenditures without realizing the fundamental needs of the people.
In his speech, Dr Ayaz Arain said that he failed to understand whether it was really a budget or mere information.
He said that there has been no mention of demands of receipts to be secured from the provincial government and it appeared that members would be begging for funds from the Sindh government.
He said that the annual budget statement was also missing, adding that although a whopping amount of more than Rs3 billion was earmarked for salaries, the 12 heads of district government were destroyed as there was no planning, monitoring and supervision. “Isn’t it an irony that the executive district officer, Finance and Planning, has purchased the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001 after two years.”
He said it is an attempt to malign the district Nazim, and added that the council members should have been consulted before budget preparation.
He said that the underground seepage problem was attaining alarming proportions.
About the fisheries department, he said Rs1 million were earmarked for salaries without disclosing its performance.
Painting a bleak picture of the education and health sectors, he said although education’s non-development expenditure is Rs2.17 billion but schools were lying closed and 25 per cent of teachers were getting salaries while sitting at home as they greased the palm of the officials concerned.
He said that students were being imparted education without provision of electricity in schools.
He said what kind of an impression would the teachers leave on their students when they themselves were chewing mainpuri and gutka during school hours.
He said there was an unexplained allocation of Rs50.2 million under special and ordinary repairs. He wondered why funds were earmarked for highways as it indicated violation of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance.
Hinting at misappropriation of School Management Committees funds, he said the conditions of schools of defunct district council and Hyderabad Municipal Corporation were pathetic as problems of their staff remained unresolved.
Mr Arain said, “We should be ashamed that young girls are having toilet facilities in neighbouring houses/buildings of their schools during school hours.” He focussed mainly on the health and education sectors.
He said of the total expenditure of Rs45 million, Rs9.8 million were kept for medicines.
He said that rural health centres and basic health units lacked the necessary equipment.
