KHAIRPUR, Sept 14: An Awam Dost Panel Union Council Nazim, Abdul Qayoom Shaikh, has demanded equal distribution of funds for new development schemes among 76 union councils of Khairpur district.

Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, he said 23 ADP UC Nazims were not sanctioned any fund for development schemes for last two years. He said out of Rs224 million allocated for development works in budget 2007-08 of district government, no funds had been released to the ADP UC Nazims for such schemes.

He said 20 ADP UC Nazims filed a petition in the Sindh High Court Sukkur Bench and the hearing, the court comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed Siddiqui and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah on September 13, 2007, gave decision that the union councils represented by 20 petitioner ADP UC Nazims will submit new schemes to District Council Khairpur within 15 days which will be considered by the council in accordance with law.

He further said as per court orders, no discrimination will be made regarding allocation of funds for undertaking new schemes.

He said the court also observed that until the schemes of the UCs represented by the petitioners were considered, the District Council Khairpur will not exhaust funds and retain the proportionate sum out of the allocated funds for the 20 UCs represented by the petitioners and on approval of their schemes disburse the same in accordance with law.

Abdul Qayoom Shaikh and other UC Nazims who filed petition appreciated the decision of the Sindh High Court and said the decision had set a new example of justice in Sindh. They complained that there was no proper cleanliness in Khairpur city, price lists were not being displayed at shops and there was no system to ensure provision of drinking water during Ramazan.

The ADP UC Nazims Nasiruddin Farooqui, Bakht Ali Dahote, Faqir Sher Ali, Ms Ghazala Siyal, Mohammad Saleh Ansari, Saleemullah Solangi and others were also present.