HARIPUR, Sept 26: The session of Haripur Tehsil Council ended amid protest by the women councillors, who did not participate in the proceedings on Thursday.

Tehsil Naib Nazim Amin Khan advocate presided over the session convened after a gap of two months.

The 12 women councillors were protesting against discrimination in allocation of funds. They were not provided any funds for development schemes.

They remained almost silent during the proceedings of the council and did not take part in the voting. On the issue of shifting of the bus and pick-up stands of Ada Darband  to recently acquired 31 kanals near Makhan Colony, the council witnessed rumpus when the members stood up in protest and objected to the decision by the Tehsil Nazim terming it despotic.

The Tehsil Nazim, when accused by the members of imposing the decisions without the consent of the members, left the proceedings. However, he had to return when all the members threatened to boycott the session.

Later, a committee led by Malik Hanif was constituted to negotiate contract with the owner of the land.

Some members refused to leave the balance amount of Rs1.5 million from the budget on the discretion of Tehsil Nazim, who had sought the approval for construction of double road from Sheranwala gate to Chappar Road.

The woman members sought the amount for development schemes but the majority opposed the idea and it was to be distributed among the 39 members.

The members asked the Tehsil Nazim to leave the road projects in the urban union councils to the district govt and spend the funds on roads and water supply schemes in the underdeveloped UCs.

The bureaucracy and Tehsil municipal administration staff were criticized by the members, who said the development schemes costing Rs14.3 million approved during 2001/02, for which work orders had been issued, were left halfway by the contractors as the TMA staff was using delaying tactics.

The house asked the TMA staff to improve their attitude and suggested blacklisting of the contractors involved in delaying the completion of development projects.

The Nazim announced dissolution of the council’s standing committees on instructions from the provincial government. He said the committees would be reconstituted.