FAISALABAD, June 5: Over 100 opposition members of the Tehsil Municipal Administration have threatened to resign and launch a protest movement against the city Nazim, Mumtaz Ali Cheema, for his “misdeeds and indifferent attitude towards them”.

A group of opposition councillors, headed by Chaudhry Mohammad Ashraf, alleged while talking to newsmen here on Thursday that the Nazim was running the affairs of TMA dictatorially in violation of the Local Government Ordinance 2001 and failed to seek the council’s approval for various important decisions.

They claimed that a majority of councillors had lost faith in the Nazim, as could be adjudged by the fact that the ruling group failed to convene the TMA session, which had to be postponed thrice for want of quorum.

They said that talks of opposition members with the city Nazim and his allies had been fruitless, as the Nazim was neither ready to allot offices for the chairmen of standing committees nor was he willing to withdraw his decision to appoint coordinators.

It may be mentioned here that the Nazim has nominated members of his own group as coordinators of different TMA branches “using his discretionary powers” instead of delegating powers to the elected chairmen of standing committees, because the opposition had succeeded in winning the leadership of important committees for infrastructure and services, accounts, finance and regulation.

Sanitary workers: Sanitary workers of the Tehsil Municipal Administration (city) blocked traffic at the railway station intersection on Thursday in protest against the police refusal to register a case against the people who had tortured one of their colleagues.

The sanitary workers gathered outside the TMA Complex and chanted slogans against the local police. They blocked traffic by parking vehicles and erecting barricades and demanded suspension of the Tariqabad police post in-charge.

They claimed that some people tortured William Masih while performing duty in Shaheenabad. The victim along with sanitary inspector Abid Chaudhry approached the area police for the registration of a case, but they refused to do so and asked them to reconcile the matter. This attitude of the police forced them to come out on the road.

The People’s Colony ASP rushed to the spot and held talks with the protesters. He assured them that an action would be taken against the police official who had refused to register the case. On this assurance, the protesters dispersed peacefully.