HYDERABAD, June 25: An uproar was witnessed in the district council session on Wednesday after its members halted debate on budget 2003-4 on the presentation of incomplete budget documents and separate allocation of funds for the defunct district council, despite the fact that along with all other municipal and town committees/corporations it stood dissolved as per the Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO) 2001.
Convener Nawab Rashid Ali Khan asked the chief whip of the session, Miran Mohammad Shah, Syed Raza Shah, Qazi Qadeer, Mohammad Yusuf Qureshi, Dr Ayaz Arain, Q. Hakim and Rana Mehmood to hold a meeting in his chamber to decide what types of papers and details were missing from the budget.
In the light of new budget rules, 52 and 63, the EDO was asked to present salient features, receipts of the district government, demand of grants, statement of new expenditure, ADP 2003-4, supplementary budget of the current year and annual budget statement.
It was Qazi Qadeer, who, on a point of order, objected that separate allocation of funds for new schemes for the defunct district council was illegal as according to section 196(3) of the SLGO all metropolitan corporations, municipal corporations, district councils, municipal committees, town committees and union councils created under the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 1979 stood dissolved.
Asking as to why incomes of the defunct district council were shown separately, he said development and non-development side allocations should be merged under one head of the district government, and added that when the district council had ceased to exist, allocations could not be continued under this head and if it was done it would be patently illegal.
He said that according to the SLGO, the executive agency of all functions in the district had been changed from the district council to the district government that it was very simple to comprehend and there should not be any point of disagreement.
Miran Mohammad Shah slightly differed with Mr Qazi on this point.
He said that when non-development expenditure could be accepted under the defunct district council, development expenditures should also be accepted. He, however, proposed that there should be a debate on the issue as the budget was yet to be approved.
Labour Councillor Rana Mehmood said that the district coordination officer must clarify why different departments could not be amalgamated in the district government.
Mir Suleman Talpur asked as to who was to benefit from the separate allocation of funds for the defunct district council.
Q. Hakim asked as to why Rs83.50 million were allocated for the defunct district council, which stood dissolved.
Mohammad Yousuf Qureshi and Dr Ayaz Arain drew the attention of the members that the budget documents were absolutely incomplete as various documents were missing and unless these documents were presented the budget would be considered a book having no value.
Mr Qureshi proposed that first the budget should be referred to the budget committee as per rule 52 for its consideration and then it should be brought in the session.