LAHORE, June 13: The Punjab Assembly on Monday continued general debate on the annual budget with opposition members terming it anti-poor and a bogus document. PPP MPA Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan said proposed allocations of Rs53 billion for the Annual Development Plan (ADP) would be used for non-funded schemes.

He rejected the approval of the budget without the consultation of ministers and ignoring their suggestions for their respective departments.

About law and order, he said despite hefty allocations in the ongoing budget, overall crime rate had increased up to 27 per cent, murder cases up to 23 per cent, attempted murders 80 per cent, kidnapping and kidnapping for ransom 20 per cent, robberies 10 per cent.

He alleged that the use of police for personal interests was the reason for the hike in crime graph. He said the Punjab government had failed to control land mafia.

About the local government system, Mr Khan said the worst corruption cases detected in the local bodies as there was no checks and balances in the system.

The allocation for local bodies for the next fiscal would also be devoured by the corrupt in the absence of a proper monitoring system, he warned.

Treasury member Mohsan Leghari informed the house about deprivations his district —- Dera Ghazi Khan —- faced. The government was giving a step-motherly treatment to his district, he said.

Provision of clean drinking water, link roads, schools and colleges, hospitals and basic health units are needed in the DGK, he said, adding he was not taken into confidence while preparing the budget, he said.

He demanded royalty of uranium for tribal areas of the district so this amount should be spent on the development projects of the area.