HYDERABAD: Leaders of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) Hyderabad have appealed to the federal and provincial governments to announce a special Hyderabad development package with a view to improving potable water schemes, sewerage system, ruined infrastructure, traffic flow, health and education facilities and addressing other civic matters.

MMA Hyderabad district president Hafiz Tahir Majeed, who is also emir of the Jamaat-i-Islami Hyderabad, said this while addressing a press conference at the local press club on Thursday. MMA Hyderabad general secretary Karamat Ali Rajput, vice president Hafiz Khalid Hassan Dhamra and others were also present.

Mr Majeed urged the federal government to announce the Hyderabad development package as it had ignored the city in the budget of 2018-19. It must fulfil all promises made by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to build a federal university, a textile college etc in the city, he added.

He said the federal government must take stern action against the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) which issued unfair detection bills to the poor and honest consumers who were facing prolonged power loadshedding in the sweltering heat of summer.

He also asked the Sindh government to announce a huge Hyderabad development package as it was the second biggest city of the province. He demanded of the government to issue a notification for according Government College Phulelli the status of a university so that budget could be allocated in this respect in the upcoming provincial budget. A bill for upgrading it to a varsity had already been approved in this regard, he said.

He asked for a general university and medical and engineering colleges as candidates who passed annual examinations of the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) failed to continue their education in the chosen field.

He pleaded for cleaning all nullahs and drains in Hyderabad before rains, providing all medical facilities in public hospitals, launching bus services, removing all encroachments and garbage heaps, reducing additional power loadshedding, ensuring pure drinking water and proper education facilities, upgrading government Girls Zubaida College to a university and other demands.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2018