HYDERABAD, Jan 21: A group of members of the district council staged a walk-out on Saturday in protest against registration of a criminal case by the city police against Mehboob Abro.

At the council session, Mr Abro distributed copies of the FIR among colleagues and said the case was lodged following an anti-Kalabagh dam rally in the city which was attended by a million people.

He claimed that neither a single shop or vehicle was pelted with stones nor any property was damaged in route of the rally.

He said that it was violation of member’s privilege and the sanctity of the council.

Members who staged walkout included Mehboob Abro, Parvez Ranjha, Yamin Soomro, Shafqat Shoro, Abdullah Shoro, Abbas Khan, Khan Mohammad Chandio and Zahida Memon.

They were persuaded by their colleagues including Ghulam Rasool Samoo and others.

They joined proceedings when district nazim was delivering his speech.

On a proposal by Haji Ashraf, the council elected a panel of presiding officers who included Ghulam Rasool Samoo, Dr Arif Razmi, Abdul Rauf Jafri, Badar Memon and Farhat Khan.

After the session, District Naib Nazim Zaffar Rajput met Mehboob Abro and Yamin Soomro and assured them that fair investigation would be conducted in the FIR by some impartial officers.

He talked to the district nazim in their presence and said that if registration of FIR proved to be false, an action would be taken against delinquent police officials.

The house was adjourned sine die.

Meanwhile, in his first formal address to the council, District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil said that the district government was striving hard to restore old glory of the city.

He said that an education city would be set up in the district and work on projects of Rs500 to Rs600 million of roads, sewerage, water supply, flyovers, education and health would be launched by February in addition to current projects of Rs100 million which were already under way.

He said the city had been badly hit by civic issues and now efforts were underway to prepare a master plan of the city which had been completely ignored in the past.

He said that control of rising underground water table had been given top priority and a project was already launched adding that a separate division had been formed which would keep working on clearing underground water supply lines throughout the year.

He listed improvement of sewerage system and supply of drinking water as his top priorities and said that four new filter plants would be established in the district.

He said that generators worth Rs140 million were being purchased for solving power breakdowns once and for all at all pumping stations.

“By February projects of Rs500 to Rs600 million will be launched in different sectors”, he said.

“Schools being used as Otaq or for any other purpose will be retrieved and used for education purposes”, he said.

He said that work on a training centre for handicapped children was also going on which would be first of its kind in the province.

He pledged to meet shortage of staff in the health sector while a food-testing laboratory would bet set up to check substandard food items and supplements.

“Though encroachment will be removed but affected people would have alternate employment”, he said.

He said a special wing was working on beautification projects whereas cultural heritage was being preserved.

He said that a graveyard on 220 acres on Tando Mohammad Khan road was being worked out.

The nazim said that conditions of grounds were being improved and old parks were being restored besides establishment of new ones.