HYDERABAD, May 29: The Sindh minister for local bodies, Mohammad Hussain, has urged officials of the local government to cooperate with elected representatives of the people.

He further urged the officials to take measures to resolve problems confronting the people.

He was presiding over a meeting held at the circuit house here on Wednesday. Town municipal officers of Hyderabad, Latifabad and Qasimabad talukas, officials of the public health engineering department and the managing-director of Wasa attended the meeting.

Mr Hussain urged the officials to take steps to remove encroachments in their respective areas and ensure timely payment of salaries to employees.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the performance of the officials, the minister said they should improve their performance to avoid disciplinary action. He warned that action would be taken against officials who were found guilty of negligence of duty.

He hinted at giving magisterial powers to taluka heads of Hyderabad.

He directed Wasa to improve the financial position of the agency and added that regularization notices should be issued for those buildings which were constructed before March 2003.

PML(N): The PML (N) workers held a demonstration here on Wednesdy to mark the Youm-e-Takbeer.

The demonstration started from the district council building and culminated at the Hyderabad Press Club.

The PML-N workers marched on foot behind a truck which was carrying a wooden replica of the Shaheen missile.

Speaking on the occasion, Rais Allah Bux Magsi, Haji Mohammad Hanif Siddiqui, Afzal Gujjar, Sultan Shaikh advocate and others called upon President Gen Musharraf to step down.

They said Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif could make Pakistan impregnable and resolve the Kashmir issue.