26 January 2004	Monday	03 Zilhaj 1424

HYDERABAD, Jan 25: A large number of people of the Matiari taluka held a demonstration and observed a hunger strike outside the press club here on Sunday. They were demanding jobs for local people at the Orient Petroleum Incorporation.

Talking to journalists, Matiari Mutahidda Council chairman Faisal Saleh Jakhrejo said the company was recruiting outsiders and not providing jobs to people of the area.

He warned that all roads leading to the company would be blocked if it did not employ the local people in 48 hours. He said he would also file a petition in the Sindh High Court against the company.

MEAT: The Naib Nazim of union council-6, Latifabad, and the meat section staff of the taluka raided meat shops here on Saturday and seized two maunds of mutton and 10 maunds of beef which was being sold in violation of law.

The meat was handed over to the local Edhi Centre. The meat of newly-born animals was destroyed. An FIR was registered against the culprits. Taluka Nazim Abdul Jabbar Khan, who had directed for the raids, has warned that those who slaughtered newly-born animals will be handed over to the police.

Meanwhile, the taluka Nazim directed the anti-encroachment staff to remove encroachments from roads and markets in the taluka. Presiding over a meeting of taluka officials at his office here on Sunday, he said the anti-encroachment campaign should be launched forthwith.

He gave a three-day ultimatum to encroachers to remove encroachments failing which the same would be demolished by the taluka administration. He announced that sacrificial animals could be sold near the Auto Bhan Road.

GSTA: The Government Secondary Teachers Association, Hyderabad chapter, has threatened to launch a protest movement after Eidul Azha if selection grade was not given to women teachers.

A spokesman for the GSTA said a delegation of the association called on the DO, secondary education, on Saturday and expressed concern that the teachers had not been given the selection grade since 1982.

The delegation said the affected teachers had submitted relevant documents at the DO's office one year back but the office had not got countersigned annual confidential reports of the teachers.

It maintained that it was the responsibility of the DO to get the ACRs countersigned. The spokesman alleged that ACRs of favourites of officials had been countersigned but the majority of women teachers was still waiting for promotion orders.