DADU, July 1: Dadu District Council members have threatened that they will not pass the district budget for 2004-05 if each member is not given funds for development works. Reports said the district government was to present the budget in the council on June 30.

Talking to this correspondent at the district nazim's office, Jamshoro Union Council Nazim Naima Baloch said last year development works had been carried out at the will of officials in which, she alleged, substandard material had been used as contractors had paid commission to the officials.

Earlier, a six-member committee, formed by the district nazim to resolve the issue and examine budgetary estimates prepared by different departments, held a meeting at the nazim's office.

Ms Baloch said for the last three days the district council's committee had been holding meetings with the district administration to resolve the issue. She said only health, education and community development departments had provided copies of their estimates.

She said the district nazim had assured members that their demands would be accepted. Another member, Mohammad Paryal Birhamani, said if the budget was not passed by July 31, the district government would face financial crisis and it would not be able to pay employees their salaries.

He said the members demanded direct allocation of funds to them. He said the education department had prepared a budget of Rs1.13 billion, with an extra expenditure of Rs100 million. Likewise, the health department had prepared a budget with an extra amount of Rs35 million, he added.

The member said if the departments did not deduct the extra expenditures, the members would not pass the amount in the budget. He said some departments had agreed to deduct their extra expenditure.

The district officer, finance, Abdul Karim Solangi, claimed that the budgetary estimates of all departments had been provided to the committee set up by the district nazim.

District Nazim Malik Asad Sikandar said the committee was examining the estimates prepared by different departments. He said if the budget was not passed by July 31, the district government would face legal complications to run its affairs.

He supported the demand of the council members, terming them legal. He said the members should be allocated funds for development schemes directly. The nazim said the budget session of the council was expected to be held in the second week of July.

He said if any department prepared a budget with extra expenditure, it would be cut before presenting it in the council and the district government would take action against officers concerned.

WATER SHORTAGE: A large number of growers marched from the Baid village to Khairpur Nathan Shah on Thursday to protest against shortage of water in Mir Mohammad, Pejahoo and Kudan branches, originating from the Rice Canal.