HYDERABAD, Dec 29: The Hyderabad District Council on Monday decided to form a committee to weekly oversee the pace of work of water supply and drainage schemes under the Rs500 million Hyderabad Development Package, announced by then Sindh Governor Mohammedmian Soomro.

The committee will comprise three members of the district council and Nazims of City, Latifabad and Qasimabad talukas.

The session was requisitioned by Q. Mohammad Hakim and other members to discuss the package.

In his speech, Mr Hakim said a high-level inquiry should be conducted to fix responsibility on those who caused delay in execution of development schemes of the package.

He said had the amount been properly utilized, the situation of sanitation and water supply would have been different.

He said earlier Rs151 million of the Annual Development Programme, 2002-2003, lapsed due to the negligence of officials concerned.

The member told the council the people were consuming contaminated water and water was not supplied to some areas for several days.

He said officials concerned should be taken to task for their failure in executing the package, compensation be paid to people whose business was affected due to sanitation problem and it should be ensured that the amount did not lapse.

He suggested that the project director should be delegated drawing and disbursing authority and a task force, comprising members of the district council, be formed to monitor the progress of the project and submit its report before the council at its monthly session.

Mr Hakim maintained that non-utilization of the development funds had brought bad name to the system and local bodies’ representatives.

Endorsing points raised by Mr Hakim, Rana Mehmood Ali Khan accused Hyderabad Development Authority director-general Ali Ahmad Lund, who was present at the session, of destruction of the city and asked him to refrain from briefing members of national and provincial assemblies. He said Mr Lund should not make the HDA a political organization as his statements could not solve problems confronting the people.

He observed that civic problems of the people had remained unresolved and no improvement had been brought about by the HDA which he termed a “white elephant”.

He said billions of rupees had been given to the HDA but the condition of the city had not improved.

Mr Khan said underground water table had attained alarming proportions in Latifabad and added that priority should be given to draining and water supply schemes, instead of roads.

The supervising committee was appointed on the proposal of District Nazim Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman who said the committee would coordinate with the DCO, who would be the project director of the development plan.