LARKANA, March 30: The members of the Larkana District Council, through a resolution passed here on Saturday, unanimously rejected the Thal canal project and imposition of GST on medicines.

Convener Nazir Ahmed Bughio presided over the session in which chief whip Amir Bakhsh Gaad tabled the resolution against Thal canal project.

Speaking on the resolution Badaruddain Abbasi, Khursheed Begum Khatyan, Ms Irshad Sargani, Safdar Mithani, Manzoor Chandio, Mohammed Hayat Shaikh, Niaz Chandio and others vehemently criticized the project saying it would turn Sindh lands barren.

They pointed out that already thousands of acres of land had been rendered unable for agricultural purposes by frequent sea erosion in Thatta and Badin districts.

Khair Mohammed Shaikh moved another resolution demanding of the government to withdraw GST from all the medicines.

His motion received unanimous support from other members and was adopted unanimously.

The members said that it was not enough to withdraw GST from life saving drugs only but all drugs should be exempted from the tax since it would add to the miseries of the poor.

Amidst boycott threats by the minority members and many a union council Nazim, a motion on their grievances was placed before the session.

Shabbir Hakro, Nazim, Banguldero UC, supported the resolution severely criticized the district government for its failure to address people’s problems.

He seemed to have opened Pandora Box as speaker after speaker came to rostrum and condemned the inefficiency of the district government. According to them the district Nazim had no grip over the officials of different government departments.

Mohammed Hayat Shaikh, Nazim, Nasirabad UC, Manzoor Chandio, Nazim, Warah UC, Ramesh Lal, minority councillor, and others said that there was no use of attending the council session for it was nothing but an exercise in futility. The people’s problems were multiplying but the district Nazim paid no heed towards them, they deplored.

Khair Mohammed Shaikh and Barkat Shaikh objected over erecting barricades at Larkana Railway Station and said if they were not removed, the people of the city would remove them.

A member through yet another motion demanded that they should be given honorarium as other provinces were giving it to Nazims and members of district councils. He said that this disparity should go.

PROTEST: When the Larkana district council was in session on here Saturday, a group of 50 activists of the Sindh Employees Alliance continuing their protest observed a token hunger strike outside the council hall.