November 11, 2008	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 12, 1429

HYDERABAD, Nov 10: The Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association on Monday accused the officials of Jamshoro district accounts office of harassment and misbehaviour with women teachers and demanded their removal.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club, Ms Raheela Baloch, secretary of the Kotri Government Girls College unit of the SPLA, and Ms Jabeen Bhutto, unit president, said that the officials of the accounts office were forcing them to deposit entire amount of salary in the principal’s account. In case of refusal, they delay processing of cheques and release them on the 8th and 9th of every month just to harass them, they said.

They alleged that when they visited the DAO office on Nov 6 to collect cheques, the officials Haroon Mallah and Noor Mohammad Lund, misbehaved with them and issued threats.

They appealed to the accountant general of Sindh and the federal and provincial governments to immediately remove the corrupt and uncultured officials and order an inquiry against them for alleged misappropriation of funds.

They demanded that a permanent principal in grade-19 be appointed in the college and all officers working on own pay scale should be removed in accordance with the decision of the Sindh cabinet.

The process of release of officers’ salaries had been computerised in all the districts of the province but in Jamshoro’s district account office, the bills were still being processed manually, despite the fact that the office had been recently given 21 computers, they said.