DADU, Feb 25: Dadu District Council members on Wednesday boycotted the council session to protest against non-release of funds to them and non-approval of tenders of development schemes from the council.

Led by Naima Baloch, Mohammad Paryal Birhamani, Saeed Ahmad Jamali and Ms Shamim, they also held a demonstration outside the press club. Later, speaking at a press conference, Awam Dost Panel leader Birhamani said tenders were invited for development schemes without approval from the district council.

He said work on many schemes had been started in which substandard material was being used. He regretted that EDOs were not attending sessions of the council and they were not implementing its adopted resolutions.

Mr Birhamani accused the DCO of creating technical hindrances in the release of the funds to Nazims. He said Nazims had sent their schemes to the DDO, coordination, Aziz Ahmad Barlas, for approval but he had not cleared the schemes.

He threatened that 116 members of the district council would resign in protest against the non-release of the funds. He appealed to the National Reconstruction Bureau chairman to visit Dadu and attend the council session, failing which, he said, Nazims of 80 union councils of the district would tender resignations.

Jamshoro Union Council Nazim Naima Baloch said officers of different departments were not complying with resolutions of the district council. She said they were spending the budget on their own and not releasing the same to union council Nazims.

She said district government had illegally diverted funds from one union council to another. She alleged that Rs900,000 of her union council had been embezzled.

She said the district council members had decided not to attend the council session till the release of the funds to them. District Naib Nazim Zahid Hussain Jatoi said he had written to the NRB chairman about the non-release of the funds to Nazims. He said the NRB official had talked to him and had given an assurance that he would direct the DCO and the district Nazim to release the funds.