HYDERABAD, Sept 29: Members of the district council here on Monday refused to accord approval for reappropriation of Rs40.525 million funds for repair of roads unless details of the works are presented before them.

The council session witnessed an uproar when convener Nawab Rashid Ali Khan asked the members whether they were ready to approve the reappropriation of funds being sought by the district government.

The members flatly refused to allow reappropriation of funds for maintenance and repair as sought by the finance EDO on the ground that the details of roads identified for repair must be presented in the session.

The EDO said that the EDO, works and services, would furnish the details on Tuesday.

He, however, informed that the amount was being taken from the heads of education works and buildings and it would be spent on the repair of the roads destroyed in recent heavy rains.

The session, however, accorded approval to reappropriation of funds of Rs140.268 million which the finance EDO said were lying in the non-lapsable bank account.

Dr Ayaz Arain rose to point out that EDO Sikandar Ali Shah did not produce details of amounts, being re-appropriated from different non-salary components of the district government.

The EDO informed the members that the amount pertained to eight different heads of non-salary components.

He was asked to submit details of the eight heads of accounts in the council.

The convener condemned the text of a letter, sent by the Sindh finance department to the district council, informing it that it could not pass a deficit budget.

Mr Rashid said that it was a democratic institution yet it was being dealt with in such a disrespectful way by the provincial government.

Syed Ghulam Raza Shah strongly condemned the letter’s language whereas Ibrahim Chishti led a walkout to lodge protest against it. The women members did not participate in the walkout.

Q. Mohammad Hakim disagreed with the members, saying that the provincial government had just reminded the council that it could not pass a deficit budget and it did not commit any contempt.

He said that the council must rectify its mistake.

The situation became tense when Jiando Soomro accused Taluka Nazim Haji Moinuddin Sheikh of corruption and called Rauf Jafri and Babu Ilyas sycophants of the taluka Nazim.

His remarks were, however, expunged by the convener who asked him not to pass such remarks in the absence of the taluka Nazim.

Mr Soomro said that he was being accused of extortion in his union council.

The session was adjourned till Tuesday.