August 01, 2008	Friday	Rajab 28, 1429

HYDERABAD, July 31: District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil called on Federal Finance Minister Naveed Qamar in Karachi on Wednesday and requested him to ensure release of remaining funds of Hyderabad Development Package (HDP) because non-release of funds had jeopardised some of the works in the district.

According to a press release issued by district nazim’s secretariat, Chairman National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) Dr Asim Hussain, DCO Ali Ahmed and project director Hyderabad Development Package Syed Sarfaraz Ali Shah were also present during the meeting. The nazim informed the federal minister that the project was being completed expeditiously.

He said that for its completion, the remaining funds of HPD’s schemes should be released by federal government as soon as possible.

He said that funds of HDP were allocated by federal government in 2002 and then the works on various projects had started. He said that since funds of various projects were not released, their completion had been jeopardised.

He requested the federal minister to release the required funds to ensure their timely completion.

The federal minister, according to press release, assured the nazim of early release of fund because he himself belonged to Hyderabad. prisoners: Adviser to Sindh chief minister on jail affairs Gul Mohammad Jakhrani has said that prison department is providing health facilities to sick jail inmates including 14 AIDS patients so that a healthy environment could be created in the prisons.

He was speaking at a seminar in central jail Hyderabad here on Thursday which was organised by Sukkur Blood and Drugs Donating Society.

He said that 86 per cent of inmates were under trial prisoners (UTPs) whose cases were not being processed either due to vacant courts or their cases are not processed.

He said that these UTPs often create problems in jails to press authorities for their production before courts. He said that, he with the inspector-general of prisons, Sindh, had taken up the matter with Chief Justice Sindh High Court to ensure postings of judges in vacant courts so that UTPs’ cases could be disposed of as soon as possible adding that access to speedy justice is everyone’s right and no one should be deprived of it.

He said that jails were in fact considered reformatories because it was up to courts to convict UTPs. He said that facilities of psychiatrics were being provided in Karachi central jail for counselling of hardened criminals to help them dissociate themselves from anti-social activities. He said that it had given good results so far.

He further said that government wanted to ensure reforms in jails and no torture tactics against UTPs would be allowed. He informed that various posts of jail staff would be upgraded because government was not unmindful of their services’ issues.