HYDERABAD, Aug 31: Sindh Health Minister Dr Saghir Ahmed has said that meetings of the core committee of the Pakistan People’s Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement have been discontinued because of a lack of consensus over a new local government law.

Speaking to newsmen on Friday after chairing a meeting of different officials at the secretariat of the former Hyderabad nazim, he said that MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar had sought the intervention of President Asif Zardari over the issue.

The health minister, who is also a member of the core committee from the MQM side, complained that party’s parliamentarians belonging to Hyderabad were denied participation in district administration meetings and their proposals were not included in the annual development programme.

MNA Salahuddin, MPAs Akram Adil and Wasim Hussain and officials were present. The minister got feedback from his party’s parliamentarians over the civic issues of the city.

They briefed him that they were being denied participation in different official meetings so much so that even their input in development schemes of the Hyderabad development package and the ADP was not obtained.

They alleged that non-technical contractors were hired by the HDP hierarchy for development works that otherwise needed expertise.

The MQM leader had to face a volley of questions regarding poor civic facilities and a land dispute between the Taluka Municipal Administration (TMA) and the central jail.

He expressed serious concern over delayed release of funds and apprehended that if this state of affairs didn’t change it could lead to serious problems in Hyderabad.

“We have been playing our role in the government to ensure continuity of the democratic process,” he said, adding that the MQM had got a mandate of this city.

“Since issues concerning the LG system were not being resolved in the core committee so these meetings have been stopped and the intervention of the president was sought”, he said.

He added that the MQM had made its reservations known to everyone over the LG issues. “We hope that after this meeting [with the president] the process of legislation will start,” he said.

“Everyone knows how many schemes of our parliamentarians are accommodated in the ADP and the HDP. We don’t have that much of say in the government we used to have until 2007,” he said.

He agreed with a questioner that the issue of the TMA’s land meant for a bus terminal was a serious one and he would communicate the MQM’s reservations on it at a proper forum.

He very candidly said that non-release of funds was a prime reason behind problems related to the civic issues of Hyderabad.

MNA Salahuddin said that he had come to know about some land deals in the city. “We have communicated our concern to the administration as we don’t accept it but we can only show our disapproval, for powers are with administration,” he said.

“Its our effort that some funds were released for fuel expenses that enabled vehicles to come out on roads and lift garbage otherwise even that would have been difficult,” the health minister said and added that in recent meetings and even in present one officials spoke about belated funds’ releases.

The minister didn’t have any answer as to why the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) was not devolved when the MQM was in a comfortable position during the Musharraf rule and why wasn’t its subsidy was got approved. “We do have realisation of some issues now when they cropped up”, he said.

“WASA needs Rs3.5 million for handling contamination of water,” he said and apprehended that if measures were not taken then Hyderabad could face a situation it witnessed a few years back in rains. Dues of Wasa needed to be cleared by some department as payments outstanding against the agency itself were paid, he said.

He said that he was aware of the fact that duplicate bills were passed in defunct TMA and this matter was being looked into. “We don’t want to protect any officer as we believe in service delivery for people”, he said.

He appealed to the Sindh chief minister, the governor and the finance minister to ensure release of funds so that civic issues were resolved.

“The MQM has the mandate of the city but our MPAs and MNAs are usually not taken on board. Even their schemes are not included in the HDP and the ADP,” he said.