October 31, 2003	Friday	Ramazan 4, 1424

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RAWALPINDI, Oct 30: The proceedings of the Tehsil Council were again marred by protests and hurling of allegations by the members at the Nazim and the speaker for, what they called, bypassing the members in important decision-making.

The session, which started after a break of about three months, saw lack of quorum in the beginning delaying the proceedings for about half an hour. However, later on more members arrived completing the quorum.

A serious row erupted between the Nazim and some members leading to fiery speeches by the latter over, what they said, the arbitrary selection of members for the monitoring committees by the latter. The Nazim, Hamid Nawaz Raja, came to the dais and told the House that the members of all the 17 committees had been selected. He also announced their names.

This resulted in a strong protest and angry speeches by the members. They accused the Nazim of overstepping his authority and taking arbitrary decisions without taking the public representatives into confidence. The Nazim has no powers to select members of his choice for the monitoring committees, protested a member, Assad Mughal, from the Union Council 26.

These committees should be elected through proper voting by the House, he urged. He also accused the speaker of siding with the Nazim in this regard.

The 17 monitoring committees are conduct committee, administration committee, works committee, water and sewerage committee, garden committee, fire committee, social welfare committee, food committee, encroachment committee, transport committee, Insaf committee, slaughter committee, sales and purchase committee and others.

All these committees were formed by the Nazim without consulting the members. The latter, therefore, refused to give approval when the issue was put before the members.

The House also disrobed the newly-elected presiding officers for the House and reinstated the old ones - Sumaira Gul, Chaudhry Malik Dad and Amir Azeem.

The tehsil municipal officer (TMO) informed the House that the executive district officer law had objected to the selection of new presiding officers saying the local government ordinance did not allow their selection. The election of presiding officers was put before the House, which restored the membership of the old ones.

The members also criticised the speaker for not convening regular monthly session of the council and demanded that in future the session should be held regularly on monthly basis and no delay in this regard would be tolerated.

Member from Union Council 4, Dhoke Mangtal, Raja Hafeez, walked out of the session in protest against, what he observed, the violation of rules and regulations in the conduct of the session.

In the end, the House approved some contracts including cattle fairs and car-parking. After the prayers break, the House was adjourned sine die for lack of quorum.