DADU, July 17: Members of Dadu Ittehad Panel, who command majority in the Dadu district council, have rejected the annual budget for 2008-09 prepared by the district administration.

The district nazim has submitted a petition in court, challenging the administration’s move to bypass the district government and get the budget passed through an executive order of the Sindh chief minister without putting it to vote in the council.

Talking to Dawn, District Nazim Karim Ali Jatoi, who has submitted a petition in the Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court against the administration, said the budget, which had cut to half allocation for the district nazim, did not reflect his or the council members’ wishes.

He said that the budget had neglected Dadu Ittehad Panel (DIP) members in allocation of schemes and given most of the schemes to PPP-backed Awam Dost Panel members.

He said that a recent council session had rejected the administration’s budget by majority.

The nazim complained that the administration was pressurising members to change their loyalty and stop supporting him and the police were registering concocted cases against DIP members.

Convener Syed Hussein Ali Shah said that it was unlawful for the administration under the SLGO (amended) to get the budget passed by the chief minister after it had been rejected by the council.

Pir Gambal, a DIP member, said that a fake case charging him with attack on PPP leader Panah Abro had been registered against him at Rukan police station.

Ali Bux Solangi, a PPP leader and ADP member, dismissed DIP members’ allegations and said the budget had been prepared in a very fair manner but the DIP members were unnecessarily making mountains of a molehill.

The budget had been prepared many days ago and all the UC nazims and members of council were asked to submit their schemes at EDO works office, he said.