HYDERABAD, Jan 5 District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil on Saturday expressed serious reservations over the role of police and other law enforcing agencies on Dec 27 and said that he had sent complaints against them to the concerned quarters.

He said at a news conference at his secretariat, which was also burnt and ransacked following assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto that he believed that the police and other law enforcing agencies did not respond the way they should have.

He had taken up the matter with the quarters concerned and also sent complaints, he said, adding, that disciplinary action had been taken against policemen but there was still need for an inquiry into their role.

He stressed the need for the restoration of people's confidence through concrete measures and said that according to district government estimates collected so far the city had suffered Rs2 billion loss on that day.

According to their estimates private persons and government agencies had suffered Rs2,000 million loss, three persons were killed; 74 government and 380 private vehicles were burnt or damaged, 35 banks and eight petrol pumps were burnt, damaged or looted; 38 government and 21 private offices and buildings were brunt, damaged or looted; 26 private shops, 5 railway installations and three factories were burnt, damaged or looted.

The statement revealed that police had recovered goods worth Rs92 million and handed over to owners goods worth Rs42 million so far, he said.

Mr Jamil said that the district had estimated the losses with the help of police. The statements of losses, which were not final, were being sent to provincial government. More figures would be collected as and when affected people submitted them, he said.

The nazim said that he had instructed the DDOs to collect details of losses at taluka level while the DCO headed a committee along with EDO revenue, SP city and other officials.

“I had also spoken to Sindh governor requesting him to ensure payment of compensation. Dr. Ishrat also assured me that payment would be made by provincial and federal governments,” he disclosed.

He said that he had asked transporters to submit their details of losses or damages to their vehicles by Monday and added that certain government departments including Sui Southern Gas Company and Pakistan Railways or banks had made their own estimations, which were not available with the district government.

The nazim denied reports of registration of FIR at his behest to victimise taluka nazim Khawind Bux Jahejo, union council nazims Mehboob Abro and Shafqat Shah.

He avoided making comments on riots left it to media to decide whether Hyderabad faced a catastrophe at a much larger scale than any other district.

He said that police were lodging FIRs on behalf of state or on the complaints of private persons. The facts about losses had been collected as per required procedure of government and all the committees had been asked to co-opt experts for assessment.

Mr Jamil said that the district administration wanted to ensure that foolproof security arrangements were made during Muharramul Harram and flour was sold at controlled rates.

A mechanism was being devised under which information about wheat quota of every flour would be made available to people, the nazim said.