KARACHI, Aug 10: The delay in convening the meeting of the 15-member board of directors of the Fishermen Cooperative Society is causing concern among the stake-holders in fisheries sector.

Sources said the formation of the FCS board had been completed after the March 4 elections, which were held through secret ballot, and prior to the elections of seven directors, the government had even nominated eight directors according to the society by-laws.

According to the sources, there is no justification for further delaying the meeting of the board, which is the highest decision-making body to manage the FCS business, besides the fish harbour affairs.

The sources maintained that the FCS affairs had not been running smooth for the past few years due to a perpetual tussle between the high-ups of the society and the elected directors, which needed immediate solution.

The sources said the government-nominated directors, by virtue of their majority status, could play a decisive role in resolving the FCS leadership crisis by initiating a dialogue with the elected representatives of the fishermen.

They argued that there was a complete chaos in the administration of the society due to present uncertain conditions. They maintained that the FCS by-laws clearly stated that the management of the affairs of the society would be entrusted to a board consisting of 15 directors.

Of them, eight were to be nominated by the government and seven were elected by the fishermen, who were the shareholders and members of the society, he added. According to the by-laws, the directors at the first board meeting shall elect from amongst themselves a chairman and a vice-Chairman.

The sources urged the registrar, Cooperatives, to immediately summon the board meeting because the delay was causing confusion among the fishermen and stake-holders. Meanwhile, talking to DAWN, the newly-elected FCS director, Haji Mohammad Yunis, from Shamspir and Yunisabad, has stressed the need for ending "political interference" in the society's affairs.

Maintaining that the society had badly suffered due to "outside political influence," Haji Yunis, one of the senior-most directors of the society, said that all stake-holders should play their due role in restoring the independent status of the society, which he said was a welfare body for the fishermen.

He argued that the main source of the society's revenue was the commission it earned by selling the catch of fishermen, thus, it was the foremost duty of the society to safeguard the interest of the poor fishermen.

The Sindh government's recently-announced list of nominees for the FCS board of directors does not include the name of city government's representative as nominated by the city nazim, adds PPI.

City Nazim Naimatullah Khan had nominated the chairman, Fisheries Committee, Abdul Razzaq Siddique, as representative of the city government in the FCS board. The city nazim, in a letter to Sindh secretary finance and cooperation, dated July 30, had sought the representation of the CDGK in the FCS board and made the nomination.

"The City Council Karachi also demanded in a resolution passed on Feb 6, 2003, CDGK's representation since the Fisheries department has been devolved into the CDGK," the letter says.

However the nomination of directors of cooperative society announced recently by Sindh Government do not include nominee of City Nazim. The City Council had also passed another resolution (No 505) on Aug 5, and demanded devolution of the Fisheries department in the CDGK under the Section 14(1) of 1st Schedule, A(VII), and supported the nominee of the city nazim as director of the FCS.

Mr Siddique said while talking to PPI on Tuesday that the Sindh government had no regard for resolutions of the City Council and recommendations of the city nazim.