BADIN, March 26: District Nazim Ali Anwar Halepoto has termed District Coordination Officer Ahmed Bux Khokhar a burden and accused him of hampering the day to day business of the district government.

He told journalists at his office on Tuesday that the DCO had become an impediment to development and a cause for bad name for the district government.

He alleged that the district government had released Rs500,000 on the DCO’s recommendation and put it at his disposal to meet expenses for the conduct of general elections but he preferred to ask mukhtiarkars to borrow fuel for law enforcement agencies.

The amount was drawn and then credited back to the bank after a lapse of two months without clearing liabilities, which drew a host of complaints about non-payment of dues, he said.

Mr Halepoto said that he also received complaints from the returning officers who accused Mr Khokhar of non-cooperation during elections. The district and sessions judge of Badin had accused the DCO of using bad language against judicial officers at a meeting about conduct of elections held on Feb 11, he said.

He alleged that when the returning officers demanded generators on the polling day the DCO coldly told them to arrange the machines on their own. He injured the feelings of judicial officers in the presence of heads of different district government departments, he said.

The letter of the sessions judge, a copy of which was obtained by Dawn, noted that the returning officers reserved the right to initiate legal proceedings against Mr Khokhar.

But Mr Khokhar denied using bad language during the Feb 11 meeting saying if he had done something to the annoyance of participants of the meeting, it would have been part of the minutes.

He expressed surprise at the new disclosures a month after the elections and said that elections had been held in a smooth manner in the district and there had been no complaint against him at that time.

About the district nazim’s allegations, he clarified that there was no head for conducting elections and the Rs500,000 released (to him) were issued from the head of relief fund, which could not be spent on elections.

Still, as per government’s directives the district government arranged for vehicles and fuel for the army personnel and succeeded in conducting elections in a smooth manner, he said.