HYDERABAD, June 10: The members of the District Council, Hyderabad, on Tuesday strongly reacted to the inordinate delay being caused in the execution of schemes of Hyderabad district under the Annual Development Programme 2002-2003, keeping in view the fact that the fiscal year was about to end.

The members have threatened to observe token hunger strike in front of the local press club from Wednesday till funds for the ADP, i.e. Rs226 million, were released.

The members had requisitioned a meeting for Tuesday given the fact that funds for 58 packages of the ADP were not released by the provincial finance department.

The meeting was presided over by Convener Nawab Rashid Ali Khan.

Initiating the debate, Syed Ghulam Raza Shah of Bhitshah deplored that it was an irony that only 20 days were left when the members were told that the funds were not released for ADP schemes although tenders had been issued for the same.

He said, “The district Nazim should have informed the members earlier so that the members could have taken up the matter in the session,” and added that it appeared that step-motherly treatment was being meted out to Hyderabad district.

“If the funds for ADP are lapsed, then the members will surround the chief minister and governor houses in Karachi,” Shah warned.

He said that even the possibility of members resigning from their seats could not be ruled out.

Lambasting the officials concerned, Dr Ayaz Arain pointed out that it was an insult to three million people of the district who were only interested in development works of their respective areas.

He said that the EDO, Works and Services, should have attended the session to present the exact details of the matter.

Accusing the bureaucracy of creating rural and urban divide, he said that the session had been made a laughing stock.

He stated that tenders had been published in the newspapers but their work orders were not issued, indicating that a conspiracy was being hatched against the system.

Mir Suleman Talpur threatened to tender his resignation if works were not carried out from the funds of the ADP.

He said that 69 such schemes would be badly affected due to non-availability of funds.

Amidst applause from the session, Mr Talpur urged the members to resign if the funds were not released by June 20.

It was Rauf Jafri who exhorted the members to stage a walk out from the session in protest. In his speech, he lamented that today the members of the council were not united which was why the bureaucracy was not taking them seriously.

He said that it was the need of the hour that all Nazims should unite on one platform to give a clear message to the bureaucracy that they meant business.

Later, the members walked out of the session and blocked a portion of the Thandi Sarak outside the District Council for half an hour, hindering the normal flow of traffic.

The members held a protest demonstration which culminated at the press club. They said that from Wednesday they would begin their token hunger strike before the press club and would also stage a sit-in at Hyder Chowk.