SANGHAR, March 2: The district council members have demanded that the tube-wells installed under the Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) scheme be made operational. They alleged that Wapda employees were involved in theft of transformers and conductors of many tube-wells.

Addressing a district council session, they said that Rs30 billion was spent on the LBOD to lower the underground water table but only a few, out of 624 tube-wells, were made operational.

They said that drains were choked due to weed and silt.

They said that FIRs were registered against the theft of wires and transformers but the cases were not pursued by Wapda and persons involved in the theft were arrested and later set free.

District Nazim Haji Khuda Bux Rajar informed the session that funds were received for these tube-wells and union council nazims should indicate the non-operational tube-wells in their areas.

Members, including Moha-mmad Ismail Dars and Feroze Kapri, demanded that March 20 should be declared as holiday in the province as the day of Sooreh Badshah who was hanged in 1943 during the British rule.

Many members said that private schools in the district were charging exorbitant fees and paying nominal salaries to teachers.

Umer Khan said that a standard for registration of private schools should be formulated.