July 24, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 20, 1429

MUZAFFARGARH, July 23: After three years, the district council of Muzaffargarh presented budget for year 2008-2009 on Tuesday.

Presenting the Rs5.8 billion budget, acting district nazim Malik Allah Dad Khar said Rs3.2 billion were allocated for non-development and day-to-day affairs, while development expenditures, ongoing development schemes, new development schemes and community citizen boards would get Rs2.35 billion.

District Naib Nazim Syed Ali Raza Shamsi chaired the session, while for the first time in three years all district officials, including District Coordination Officer (DCO) Tariq Javed Malik and executive district officers (EDOs), attended the session.

The session started at 1pm amid furor by some union council nazims, including Tariq Baloch and Abdul Ahad Sanawan, who said they were kept in the dark about the preparation of budget. They alleged that funds were also allocated for the schemes recommended by members of the Provincial and National assemblies.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Jamshed Dasti, who also present in the guest gallery, sought permission from the convener to clear the point. He said he did not know if schemes by MNAs and MPAs had been adjusted in the district council budget. He said he had started his career as local government representative and he always opposed inference from MNAs and MPAs in the affairs of the local government.

In the past three years, the district budget could not be presented because of the tussle between the then PML-Q government and then district nazim Abdul Qayyum Jatoi, who was from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). In 2005, 2006 and 2007, whenever Mr Jatoi tried to present budget, the government would lock the hall or stop PML-Q nazims from attending the session. Resultantly, every time the district nazim group would move court over the issue.

In 2007, Mr Jatoi resigned as district nazim and contested the Feb 18 elections for NA-180 as PPP candidate. He was succeeded by PML-Q’s Allah Dad Khar as acting district nazim.

After the budget session, Mr Khar and Finance EDO Rana Amjad Ali held a press conference. Mr Rana said his team had made budget in consultation with union council nazims. He said that no fund was allocated for MPAs and MNAs.—Correspondent