HYDERABAD, Sept 1: The City Taluka Council in a resolution passed on Monday called for an increase in the number of admissions offered by the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences.

It further said the entry test centre should be set up at an accessible place so that students of Hyderabad and other parts of the province could appear in the assessment test.

Mohammad Iqbal Kaimkhani tabled the out-of-turn resolution, saying students would face difficulties to appear in the test at the Petaro Cadet College as it was situated in a remote area. He said it was for the first time that the test was being held at the college.

He said it would also result in extra financial burden on students as no direct transport service was available between Petaro and the Hyderabad city. He said candidates were required to arrive at the venue at 9am which would be difficult for them.

Saying that 11 seats were decreased at the LUMHS, Mr Kaimkhani demanded that authorities concerned should shift the test venue to the city and increase the number of seats.

The out-of-turn resolution of Usman Abbasi was also passed by the council.

Mr Abbasi demanded release of funds under the Khushhal Pakistan Programme and the Annual Development Programme.

Drawing attention of the council to the suspension of work on development schemes, he said out of Rs150 million of the ADP, only Rs35 million was released with the result the ongoing work was stopped.

He appealed to President Gen Pervez Musharraf to ensure release of funds of the KPP and the ADP.

A division was witnessed in the council over the issue of the Rs500 million Hyderabad Development Package which is also lying suspended after its project director was changed.

The matter was raised by Abdul Waheed Ajmeri who said unnecessary change of the project director had led to inordinate delay in executing the project.

Mr Ajmeri said tenders were being called and cancelled without any reason and a controversy existed among the new project director, chief engineer, public health engineering department, and the DCO over their authority.

He said the project director did not have the authority to issue cheques to contractors for works executed by them so far.

He said either the DCO should be made the project director again or the public health chief engineer be authorized to issue cheques.

Qamaruddin Shaikh called for constituting a committee to first ascertain facts regarding the issue and then propose measures.

Abdul Hameed opposed Mr Shaikh, saying the area where the works were to be carried out were badly affected and said there was no need of appointment of such a committee.

He said roads were being repaired whereas drainage and sewerage works were yet to be carried out in the area.

Iqbal Shaikh pointed out that contractors were being offered 20 per cent increase in new tenders but they were not coming forward to take contracts.

Convener Abdul Qadir Naghar deferred the matter till Sept 10 after he was informed that new tenders were to be issued on Sept 9.