HYDERABAD, Aug 9: District council convener Nawab Rashid Ali Khan has alleged that bureaucracy wants to pit elected representatives against their electorates.

Speaking at a session of the district council on Monday, he added that bureaucrats were bent on sabotaging the devolution system.

The convenor observed this after Water and Sanitation Agency executive engineer Mohammad Shafiq informed the council that district and provincial governments had not released funds for coping with emergency situations during rains in the city.

The Wasa official said only one telephone number at emergency centres was operational. Mr Khan regretted that the emergency centres did not have required resources. He deplored the lack of interest on the part of officials.

He claimed that it had never happened during the municipal corporation days as emergency centres were at least equipped with telephone lines. He said the outbreak of epidemics could not be ruled out as no funds had been provided to Wasa and the Hyderabad Development Authority.

About the Hyderabad development project, he said its implementation was not subject to the district council's approval, adding that no amendment could be made to it. Rana Mehmood Ali Khan called for suspension of SDOs and executive engineers for at least one month as, he alleged, they mostly thrived on illegal gratification.

He said officials had failed to redress grievances of people. He said beverage and industrial units were having enough water but people were longing for water supply.