HYDERABAD, March 21: The Hyderabad District Council on Monday rejected a proposal of the district nazim to allocate funds for private schools to purchase computers.

The council observed that private schools and institutions could not be provided with funds.

Convener Nawab Rashid Ali Khan presented the nazim’s proposal in the council.

Rejecting the proposal, the members argued that funds could only be provided to welfare organizations and private schools were not entitled to such a grant.

The council at the outset expressed grief on the death of devotees in a bomb blast in Jhal Magsi, Balochistan, after member Ali Nawab Kutrio raised the matter.

Mr Kutrio demanded that the Balochistan government should investigate the matter and provide compensation to families of victims.

The council unanimously adopted a resolution for granting Rs25,000 each to deserving girls for marriages from discretionary funds of the district nazim.

Mohammad Yusuf Qureshi tabled the resolution, stating that Nazim Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman had announced during his budget speech of 2004-05 that mass marriages would be arranged with his discretionary funds. He said early spending of the amount should be ensured because it would lapse in a few months. He proposed that 3.65 million should be allocated for the purpose and each council member should identify and submit details of deserving girls of their areas for provision of funds.

Mr Khan said the members should submit the lists of deserving girls’ names in the council by March 31 for approval.

He said the resolution along with the names would be sent to the district nazim for provision of funds to deserving girls with the condition that the marriages would take place within two months.

The council also adopted a resolution moved by Mohammed Yusuf Qureshi, deploring the condition of the Niaz Stadium and demanding that international cricket matches should be held there to promote sporting activities. He suggested that the stadium should be given under the control of the Pakistan Cricket Board for proper maintenance and renovation.

The convener said a meeting of the council’s sports committee would be convened on March 24 to discuss the matter.

In his briefing about the National Programme for Improvement of Watercourses, the EDO, agriculture, Shahab Siddiqui, informed the members that 2,930 watercourses would be lined in the district in four years. He added that 29,000 watercourses would be improved in the province under the programme.

He said watercourses’ associations would monitor the process. He said a special monitoring and planning team of the chief minister was also supervising activities of watercourses improvement.

Tabling another resolution, Mr Qureshi said the government had recently lifted ban on employment but unemployed youths were finding it difficult to submit all relevant documents. He urged authorities concerned to withdraw the condition of submitting all documents because the documents could be checked during interviews of candidates.

Mr Khan’s resolution calling upon authorities of banks to withdraw a decision to deduct amount from an account if the account holder failed to keep over Rs5,000 was also passed.