KOHAT, Dec 24: A session of the district council, Kohat, held with deputy district Nazim, Haji Sardar, in the chair, on Monday, demanded a probe into the spending of a huge amount on the celebration of the  Independence Day and for the purchase of handcarts by municipal committee officials.

The Nazim of urban-5 union council, Dr Matiullah Shah, informed the house that the municipal committee had spent   Rs 400.000 on a single programme organized on August 14, which was not up to the mark.

He regretted that the MC had been facing financial problems and, consequently, various uplift schemes could not be implemented. But sill financial irregularities were being committed by MC officials.   He moved a resolution demanding an inquiry into the spending of the huge amount on the Independence Day function.

He said said that the MC had purchased 42 handcarts, to be rented out to Afghan refugees and others, for Rs 40,492, and later disposed them of for Rs 7,000 only. This amounted to plundering of hard-earned public money, and merited a probe.

The resolution was unanimously adopted by the house and it was decided that a committee would be set up to look into the matter.

The house proposed that the Liquat Hospital OPD fee should be raised from Rs 3 to Rs 5 and the amount thus earned should be spent on the maintenance of the hospital building and purchase of medicines.