KARACHI, Feb 3: The City Council on Thursday demanded release of funds allocated to union councils and also the honorarium dues payable to councillors. It condemned DCO's role in obstructing the release of the funds.

The council session was presided over by its convener Tariq Hasan. The chair formed a committee, headed by Muslim Pervez, presiding officer of the house, to get the issues of UC funds and councillors' honorarium resolved. Members of the committee are Siddiq Rathor, Najmi Alam and Jafferul Hasan.

He said that the committee would hold a meeting with the city nazim, DCO, and EDO (finance) at his office on Monday at 11:00am. The outcome of the meeting would be conveyed to the city council the next day, he added.

Earlier, taking up the issues, Najmi Alam of the Awam Dost Group criticized the DCO for ordering requisition of all bills through him (DCO). He described the move as 'delaying tactics' on the part of the bureaucracy which, he said, was creating hurdles in the development works in the city.

He alleged that EDOs of works and parks were also obstructing the council members' efforts. He urged the chair to summon the DCO to the house where he should be told to resolve the issue of the funds and honorarium. If he failed, a resolution for his removal be passed, he suggested.

"We are elected representatives whereas the bureaucracy is supposed to implement the City Council's decisions. If this does not happen, the council should not exist. It should be dissolved if it cannot pursue its resolutions," he argued.

Mr Alam called upon all council members to initiate joint efforts to resolve the issue. Abdul Rashid Baig of the Al-Khidmat Group said that a committee should be formed to resolve the issue of the release of the honorarium and UC funds.

He denounced bureaucracy for impeding the city government's works. Razzaq Siddiq observed that the problem of UCs' funds had aggravated whereas no action had yet been taken for the disbursement of councillors' honorarium.

"The development work in the metropolis has come to a halt as we are unable to make payments to contractors," he pointed out. Criticizing the provincial government's role in this regard, Goharul Islam said that the DCO and adviser on Local government belonged to the same lot.

The provincial government, he said, should restrict itself to playing constitutional role, i.e. legislation, and refrain from indulging in the city government's matters.

He lamented that the DCO found no time to visit the city government secretariat. He advised him to spare time for resolving the issues identified by the city council.

Siddiq Rathor of the Al-Khadim Group said that the bureaucracy did not want the development work in Karachi to continue. He deplored that the council's resolution regarding release of UCs' funds had been thrown into wastepaper bin.

Jafferul Hasan of the Aman Pasand Group proposed formation of a committee, comprising City Nazim Niamatullah Khan and Naib Nazim Tariq Hasan, for talk with Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary, DCO and EDO Finance to resolve the issues.

Saeed Ghani of the Awam Dost Group called for the withdrawal of recent increase in petroleum prices, and demanded fixing of petrol price at Rs30 per litre and that of diesel at Rs15 per litre.

Ms Shamim Mumtaz criticized the government's decision of curtailing women representation in local governments from 40,000 to 18,000, and demanded retention of 33 per cent seats for women in every tier of devolution system.

Minority member Michael Javed alleged that DCO had stopped release of funds for development works in UCs, and expressed concern over neglecting minorities in this regard. -PPI