UMERKOT, Feb 19: Millions of unspent local government budget and personnel interests have resulted in hiring of six union council secretaries in taluka Chhachhro from outside the Thraparkar district, mainly because of the proposed reshuffling of ministries.

People are dejected as bureaucracy did not take on board the local population and not a single elected representative defended the right of Tharis over appointments.

Reports reveal that the process of induction was still being carried out despite the protest of local people and PPP workers.

Reportedly, the six UC secretaries include Matloob Hussain Chandio of Dadu appointed at UC Rajoro; Daim Khan Zardari of Shaheed Benazirabad posted at UC Tar Dos; Huzoor Bux Shar of Sanghar at UC Mithrio; Narendar Kumar Bajir of Umerkot at UC Khensar; and Toufiq Hussain Chandio of Dadu at UC Jese jo Par, taluka Chhachhro. Matloob Hussain Chandio and Toufiq Hussain Chandio are real brothers.

Sources said that the six have joined their duties and had started working. The PPP workers and locals had termed it an injustice with Thari youth.

Strangely, none of the elected representatives form Tharparkar raised their voice over this injustice.

MNA Dr Ghulam Haider Samejo and member of District Development Committee condemning the move said that it was an injustice with Tharis who already were suffering from poverty and unemployment. He said that an elected representative of Tharparkar had auctioned these posts to outsiders and asked the government to provide justice to Thari youths.

Deputy opposition leader in Sindh Assembly, Abdul Razzaq of PML-Q said that they would not tolerate a practice which had deprived Tharis of their legal and legitimate right. “I will raise this issue on the floor of the assembly,” he said.

Interestingly, last year the Chief Minister ordered the district governments of Umerkot and Tharparkar to ensure provision of water after learning of three deaths because of thirst. Subsequently, water was made available through tankers in some areas while administrators of rest of the areas submitted fake vouchers where there wasn't any water shortage.

In Chhachhro taluka alone, more than Rs6 million were drawn in claims but accounts were sealed after unearthing of the practice. The Sindh government issued a grant of Rs200,000 per month to each union council.

The posts are non-technical and require an intermediate and thus any claims that such candidates were not available in Tharparkar was simply out of question, said Ali Akbar Rahimoon, a social activist.

Sources said that the local government authorities were in a hurry to draw unspent funds from the account of UCs since ministries were about to be reshuffled.

The UC secretaries and their nazims were co-signatories in handling the UC business but mukhtiarkars of taluka were made co-signatories in place of nazims after the dissolution of the local governments.

However, the district government of Tharparkar transferred these powers to the DO monitoring and evaluation compelling 44 UC secretaries to visit his office even for a single cheque and then draw the amount from taluka headquarters.DO monitoring and evaluation Tharparkar, Qazi Khalid Mehmood could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.