17 April 2005	Sunday	07 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1426

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PESHAWAR, April 16: Thirty-five members of the city district council tendered resignations on Saturday in protest against the non-implementation of council’s directives regarding the suspension of vice-principal and warden of the Comprehensive Girls Higher Secondary School.

The enraged members, including men and women, staged a walkout from the council’s session and boycotted the proceedings.

The council’s session, presided over by convener Dr Iqbal Khalil, also witnessed uproar against the district government for not implementing its decision.

The council had ordered the suspension of the vice-principal and warden of the Comprehensive Girls Higher Secondary School on Thursday, after some of the members had drawn the attention of the chair that students there were being charged Rs1,400 under the heads of gas and electricity charges at the hostel illegally.

The convener had referred the matter to education committee for probe within a time of one week and had ordered immediate suspension of both the officials.

When the session began on Saturday, Sirajul Haq Yousafazi, a member of the council, asked the chair to inform the house about the matter. On which the convener said that the district coordination officer had issued the orders regarding implementation of the council’s session.

However, when the copy of the DCO’s directives was presented in the council it said that the DCO had only directed the EDO to probe the matter, which infuriated Sirajul Haq, who complained that what was the rational behind their decision when they were not implemented.

He asked the members to boycott the proceedings, raining slogans and walked out in protest. Some 35 members wrote resignation letters and presented them to the convener, who asked them to present the resignations to the nazim instead.

The DCO informed the house that he had no jurisdiction over the concerned school to issue suspension orders, whereas the annoyed members argued the DCO was fully empowered under the law to issue the suspension orders to the school’s officials.

The members vowed that would not revoke their decision of resignation from the council’s membership till the suspension of both the officials.

Meanwhile, the DCO also informed the house about the progress in the inquiries regarding deaths of one child on account roof-collapse in Bana Mari and drowning of another in a canal in Yakatoot area a week ago.

He said that two different inquiries had been initiated and would be finalized within three days.

The convener also formed a committee to look into the complaints of students regarding shortage of teachers and facilities at the Jinnah Medical College and asked the committee to present its report before the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.