September 25, 2008	Thursday	Ramazan 24, 1429

MIRPURKHAS, Sept 24: The local government system is a pro-people system, which envisages formation of village councils but vested interests have frustrated efforts to enable people to take benefit from the system, say speakers at a conference on Wednesday.

They said at the conference on a report on local government system at village level prepared by Sami Samaj Sujag Sangat, an NGO, in Umerkot that the district government and taluka governments were supposed to constitute village councils but political lords manoeuvred to limit the system to union council level.

Therefore work in all sectors remained incomplete and no participation could be found at any stage, they said stressing the present elected government to form village councils to enable people to express their views openly.

Programme Coordinator Mir Hassan Arisar, SPO representative Gopal Das, councillors Abdul Ghaffar Nagori and Usman Mangrio said that local government system failed to be result-oriented due to lack of proper implementation at village level.

ROBBERY: Three robbers looted ornaments and cash from the family of an assistant manger of National Bank in Umerkot on Wednesday.

Armad robbers barged into the house of bank official Rahim Shah, held the family hostage at gunpoint and looted gold ornaments and Rs80,000.