KARACHI, Dec 9: The City Council meeting was postponed on Saturday after a 20-minute session due to inadequate attendance of the members.
A large number of members on both sides of the divide were not present when the council resumed its proceedings at 3pm. After 20-minute deliberations, the meeting was put off by presiding officer Naib Nazim Nasreen Jali on the request of treasury and opposition benches.
At the outset of the proceedings, treasury member Masood Mehmood stood up and pointed out to the chair that since a large number of councillors were not present in the house, the meeting should be postponed.
Opposition councillor Ramzan Awan also urged the presiding officer to adjourn the meeting as a number of councillors could not attend the session because they were busy in their respective constituencies to deal with the situation arising out of recent rainfall.
The presiding officer said according to relevant rules of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, we should wait for half an hour for the councillors. However, she said the meeting could be put off if both the treasury and opposition members unanimously agreed.
While she was giving her arguments, UC-11 Nazim from Lyari Town Shahjehan Baloch pointed out that the development work on Bakhtawar Park and Noor Mohammad Village playground had been abruptly stopped. Despite his repeated requests to the city nazim and EDO Parks, the work had not been resumed so far, he said. Nasreen Jalil assured the member that action would be taken on his complaint.
Opposition councillor Rashid Beg complained that he had submitted seven questions to the secretariat but he had received the reply of only one. The house could not run this way, he remarked.
When lady councillor Shamim Mumtaz Wasi said she wanted to move a resolution on shelter houses for women as was approved by the city government in Khairpur, the presiding officer intervened and said the house had to take up some serious agenda. The city government would celebrate the platinum jubilee ceremony of the city council building next month, she said and urged the opposition to extend full cooperation in making the event successful.
Later, she adjourned the session to meet again on December 12.
Opposition leaders Rafique Ahmed, Sheikh Mehbub and Abdul Razzaque told newsmen that they were unable to attend the session because of massive traffic jams on M.A Jinnah Road and its link roads.
