LARKANA, Oct 28: The Larkana district council, in the absence of Khushhal Pakistan Panel, agreed to delegate powers of retaining and allocate again district government funds with the district coordination officer instead of with the district nazim.

The session was held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of District Naib Nazim Syed Ali Raza Shah, also convener of the council with the KPP members staying away from the proceedings.

Khair Mohammed of Awam Dost Panel (ADP) moving the resolution said that retaining of funds should be transferred to the DCO as the district nazim had become ineffective.

The ADP members supporting the resolution called for clipping the powers of district nazim so as to run-day-today affairs smoothly.

Nazim Union Council Fayyaz Bhutto opposed the move saying that it was uncalled for to shift the power of an elected representative to a bureaucrat. He tried to raise his voice in the presence of DCO in the house but it remained unheard and the house passed the resolution.

A paper of supplementary budget for the fiscal year 2008-2009 was circulated among the members. An amount of Rs40,00,000 was related to providing petrol and lubricants charges to Rangers personnel and VVIPS’ movement.

The document said that the law and order in the district was precarious. There existed a notified President House in Larkana and the VVIPS’ movement had considerably increased. Thus the district had become extremely important, most sensitive and politically vibrant in the current scenario.

We had requested the Sindh Government to advise Rangers to conduct patrolling on roads, especially at night. Rangers had requested for POL and lubricants. No separate allocation was earmarked in the budget estimates 2008-2009 under this head.

Therefore, there was an acute need of a supplementary budget to cope up with the changing circumstances of law and order in the district.

Badar Abbasi, pro-Khushhal Pakistan Panel member, opposing the proposal said that the Sindh government should better bear the expenses under the situation.

He said it was unjustified to make district government bear the expenses. However the house passed the resolution.

The council also passed supplementary budget to the tune of Rs72,225,000 as salary and non-salary components.

ADP member Khair Mohammed Shaikh tabling a resolution called for reconstituting different monitoring committees as previous bodies could not complete the tenure and were also non-functional.

Badar Abbasi opposing the move said that it was against section 192 of Sindh Local Government Ordinance and the bye-laws of the district council.

He said that some members of the council had filed a constitutional petition in the court and it was still pending and proposed seeking legal opinion from the Executive District Officer Law. He said the nominations were also not put before the council.

It was however later passed by raising hands with majority votes.

Munwar Abro, Ms Khursheed Talat Khatyan of Sindh National Front pointed towards the poor state of law and order situation in the district.

They quoted numerous references in support of their standpoint and criticized police for its failure in containing the deteriorating law and order situation.

They also called for fumigation against mosquitoes to reduce malaria cases. They also pointed out towards the absence of a headmaster in Pir Bakhsh Bhutto School since 2006 and closure of various schools in the union council. The council’s session was adjourned indefinitely.