HYDERABAD, Sept 6: The district Nazim, Hyderabad, Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman, has said that the Sindh government has agreed in principle to finance the union councils directly with effect from the next financial year instead of through the district government to expedite the pace of development activities at the grassroots level.

He said this while presiding over a meeting of Nazims of union councils of Talukas Hala and Matiari at the Shahbaz hall on Thursday.

He said that until and unless the union councils are made self-sufficient in financial matters, the system of local government would not succeed, and added that the government has chalked out a three-year programme to rehabilitate the union councils in all respects.

He said that Rs50,000 were being provided to each union council falling within the jurisdiction of town committees and municipal committees.

He said that it has also been decided that 30 per cent of the KPP fund would be provided to the Taluka councils to meet their local requirements.

Responding to a complaint regarding shortage of irrigation water, the Nazim informed the meeting that the matter had been taken up with the secretary, Irrigation, Government of Sindh, who has agreed to spare two days exclusively for Hyderabad District to solve the growers problems of water shortage.

Responding to another demand about the village chowkidari system, the district Nazim informed that the Home Department, Government of Sindh, has allowed the DCO to recommend only 30 licences in a month, and added that he would recommend the same according to the available quota.

The Nazims mostly complained about improper facilities in the health, communication, and educational sectors and submitted their demands in detail.

The district Nazim and the DCO, Hyderabad, Mir Hussain Ali, directed the officers concerned to make concerted efforts for resolving the problems of union councils.

The DCO, Hyderabad, Mir Hussain Ali, directed the EDO, education, to complete the work about setting up the School Management Committees (SMC) as soon as possible and solve the problems from the funds of these committees.

He said that major works regarding the water supply would be tackled by the government.