LARKANA, June 29: District Nazim Mohammed Bakhsh Arijo on Friday presented Rs1,998.172 million surplus budget for 2007-08 amid complete pandemonium created by members of Awam Dost Panel (ADP) who tore up budget copies and kept shouting slogans throughout the speech.

The ADP members termed the budget illegal because they claimed they had not been informed about the budget session, which was presided over by Convener Ali Raza Rashdi.

No sooner did the convener invite the nazim to make budget speech than the ADP members assembled before the rostrum with banners and placards and started chanting full-throttled slogans. But Mr Arijo remained unfazed and continued his speech despite the pandemonium.

At one stage police entered the council hall and tried to stop the protesting members from raising slogans but they just stood by after the ADP members asked them to go out of the hall.

He said that the district received a total of Rs1,998.172 million revenue while its volume of expenditure stood at Rs1,997.972 million. This year’s budget had made 20 per cent more allocations than the last year’s, he said.

He appreciated the degree of cooperation and coordination he received from all groups of offices and said that the district had allocated Rs232.50 million for the ongoing development schemes and Rs77.5 million for undertaking new schemes.

As the nazim concluded his speech, Dr Kishore, member of Khushhal Pakistan Panel, stood up and urged the convener to put the budget to vote and get it passed, much to the anger of ADP members.

Not taking any notice of the ADP members’ protest the convener hastily gave ruling to put the budget to vote and left his chair after it was passed thereby proroguing the session.

The leader of ADP members, Khair Mohammed Shaikh, said the budget was illegal because the members of finance committee had not approved it.

The copies of the budget were handed over to the members at 12.30 pm and it was passed at 12.45 pm, he said.