SWABI, May 11: The district council has rejected the provincial government’s move to hand over the public health department to the district government and vowed to resist pressure in this regard.

The session of the council has held sans the 25 opposition members who had announced on Thursday that they would continue their boycott due to victimization and alleged corruption in the construction contracts by the treasury benches.

The treasury members said that the public health department drew a lot of complaints from the citizens and if it came under the district government’s jurisdiction, the reputation of the local government would be joepardized.

The council constituted a seven-member committee comprising Ijaz Khalid, Sarfaraz Khan, Mir Zaman,  Zakirullah, Sarwar Khan, Arshad Khan and Yasmeen Begum.

The committee would discuss all aspects of the offer of the provincial government and submit a report to the council so that it can take the final decision.

Speaking on the final day of the five-day session, District Nazim Sher Zaman Sher urged the opposition to give up its rigid behaviour and mud-slinging campaign against the treasury benches.

The council rejected the Rs6.8 million  additional financial demands of communication and works department, alleging that all the contracts had been given under the old method and the official had bypassed  the district government’s monitoring committees.  

If the commission and substandard construction continue the committee members should resign, a member stressed.