KHAIRPUR, Jan 19: District Nazim Syed Niaz Hussain Jilani presented a Rs3.43 billion budget for the district in the first session of the Khairpur District Council on Thursday. He told council members that since the previous district council had not approved the budget for 2005-06, it stood rejected.

About closed schools in the district, he gave an assurance that 342 schools lying closed in the district would soon be reopened and a crackdown on teachers who usually remained absent and did not perform their duties would be launched.

The nazim said the federal government had provided Rs570 million to improve the agriculture sector in the district which would be spent on repairing watercourses.

He said committees would be set up to monitor development schemes in the district.

He said Rs3 million each had been sanctioned for 76 union councils of the district.

Awam Dost Panel member Abdul Qayoom Shaikh claimed that the budget for 2005 had been passed by the previous council and it could not be rejected under the law. He said the district nazim did not have any authority to reject or call further discussions on the budget.

ADP members raised a point of order to allow discussion on the Kalabagh dam but the convener said the issue was not included in the agenda.

When the ADP members started protesting over the issue, the convener adjourned the session for lunch break.

District Naib Nazim Mir Dinal Khan Talpur presided over the session.

INJURED: Three people were injured by the bandits while resisting a robbery bid on the Ghunjan Link Road near Ahmedpur on Tuesday night.