September 30, 2003	Tuesday	Sha’aban 3, 1424

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KHAIRPUR, Sept 29: Sindh finance minister Syed Sardar Ahmed Shah has said that there was bungling of about Rs180 million under the garb of house purchase loan by government employees in Sindh, including Khairpur district, and he was collecting facts and figures regarding it to hold an inquiry.

Speaking at a press conference at the Circuit House, Khairpur, on Monday, he said that he had requested the chief minister to transfer this case from the anti-corruption to the NAB.

He said it was a huge financial scam in the name of house purchase loan and if any attempt on the part of the anti-corruption police to stop the inquiry was made, it would not be spared from departmental action.

Earlier, speaking as a chief guest at the cheque distribution ceremony of the citizens community board at the Sachal Sarmast Auditorium, the minister said that billions of rupees, allocated through village aid schemes since 1950, had been misused in Sindh.

He said no development and rehabilitation, whatsoever, took place in the province due to this corruption.

He said if funds allocated for the development had been utilized properly, Sindh’s position would have been much better.

Syed Sardar Ahmed announced that the Sindh government would contribute to the CCB but, he emphasised, monitoring was essential and it should be carried out from the union council to district council.

District Nazim Nafisa Shah said about 125 schemes had been approved under this scheme and one third of them would be financed on the self-help basis. She said members of the CCB would contribute their share to the tune of two million rupees.

She appealed to the senior minister to reallocate Rs30 million lapsed during the last financial year. She observed if funds were reallocated, the development work in the district would be completed on time.

DCO Khairpur Rizwan Memon briefed about the CCB schemes approved for repair and the construction of primary school buildings, drainage system and roads.

The senior minister distributed cheques among 35 persons. He also visited the district accounts office and inquired about embezzlement in the house purchase loan.

MAN KILLED: Four men killed a man, Roshan Din Mahar, 30, in Mitho Mari on Monday.

The names of the four have been ascertained as Ghulam Shabbir, Nisar, Moharram and Majeed. All are Mahars by caste.

The B-section police station, Khairpur, registered a case against the four.

WATER THEFT: The Darogha, irrigation department, Khairpur east division, registered a case against 13 people, including a landlord of Kot Diji Taluka and PPP leader Khalid Hussain Jiskani, for water theft under section 61 and 62 of the Irrigation Act on Monday.