PESHAWAR, June 25: Nazim and councillors of union council Hayatabad-II will start a hunger strike from Monday to press the provincial government to give the Hayatabad Township the status of a separate town council.

Talking to Dawn here on Friday, Hayatabad Union Council-II Nazim Sirajul Haq Yousufzai said that he and his colleagues had been on a pen-down strike since June 19, asking the government to accord the status of town council to the Hayatabad Township.

The District Council, through a resolution, had already approved the demand for a separate town council status to be accorded to Hayatabad, he said, adding they had been striving from day one to secure the status of a separate town for the township but to no avail.

He said owing to inefficiency and inability of the Town-II administration and the chief officer of the township, the most modern housing scheme of the province was moving towards backwardness instead of progress and development.

He said if the two union councils of Shakardara and Kohat could be accorded the status of separate town councils, then why the same status was being denied to the Hayatabad township.

Mr Yousufzai said that a meeting of councillors had been convened on Saturday (today) to draw further line of action and selection of a venue for erection of the hunger strike camp.

The Nazim was of the view that the Union Council had Rs80 million budget which came from different taxes paid by the people but the same money was being utilised by the Town-II which was against the rules.

He demanded of the chief minister to accord the status of a separate town to Hayatabad and solve problems of the people on a priority basis. He also demanded of the chief minister to terminate services of the Municipal Micro Services Administrator for misuse of powers.

He said most of the Union Councils had been facing the problem of budgetary deficit, except Hayatabad, therefore it should be given the status of a separate Town Council so the councillors could serve the people of the area in a better way.

Mr Yousufzai said that hunger strike was aimed at pressuring the government for the acceptance of their genuine demand.