HYDERABAD, Sept 21: The Kotri taluka nazim has prevented three municipal officials from working on their posts for removing encroachments on the order of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench.

He requested the provincial local government department to transfer taluka municipal officer Abdul Razzak Qureshi, taluka officer (infrastructure) Shoukat Ali Memon and taluka officer (regulation) Nazeer Hussain Memon.

The TMA officials have demolished one shop and encroachments on drains on the Liaquat Road and near the old Bridge Naka. The nazim issued notices to them under rule 6, 7, 9 and 10 of the TMA Rules of Business 2002 on September 16 and locked their offices on 17 in order to restrain them from working.

The notice said that the officials, without lawful authority and seeking orders from the nazim, had removed a kutchi piriand hand-carts causing Rs400,000 loss to the TMA and demolished authorized construction on municipal land, causing a further loss of Rs1.2 million.

The nazim claimed that the officials were defying his orders, thus, committing an act of misconduct, and said that he had requested the government to transfer them and take disciplinary action against them.

The officials are facing contempt proceedings in the SHC bench for violation of an order dated October 6, 2003, passed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim and seeking action against them by the Sindh ombudsman for leasing/renting out footpaths and streets to individuals and alienating municipality assets without sanction of competent authority.

The order was passed during hearing of an application filed by a trader, Sharifuddin, pertaining to a portion of footpath of the Liaquat Road. It was rented out to Bhawanmal who subsequently sublet it to applicant who claimed possessory right on it and sought directive to the municipality to rent him out the footpath portion.

The officials told journalists that the nazim was creating hindrance in the removal of encroachments and added the interference had delayed the anti-encroachment drive.