HARIPUR, Dec 20: A majority of tehsil council Haripur members on Saturday opposed the planned anti-encroachment drive in the city.

The tehsil council met with Mohammad Amin Khan, the convener, in the chair.

At the start of the proceedings, the tehsil Nazim sought funds approval from the council for the proposed operation to clear encroachments in the city.

However, he faced a barrage of criticism over the issue from a majority of members, who accused certain members and officials of the now defunct Municipal Committee and the officials of TMA Haripur of conniving with the encroachers.

Labour councillor Raja Ehtesham said that since new constructions were only possible once the mandatory approval of maps was effected by the civic agency concerned, the marking of shops in different bazaars gave rise to suspicion that TMA officials were hand in gloves with the encroachers.

“It means that all the 430 maps passed by the TMA within a short span of two years are incorrect and new constructions made on public property in the city are justified after accepting graft,” he said.

He demanded that the operation be initiated only in the light of recommendations of a house committee, assigned the task to review and compile report in the light of city map of 1903.

Sheikh Abid, Haji Abdul Saboor, Malik Razmat and Malik Hanif this standpoint.

On this the convener constituted a six-member house committee to compile a comprehensive report on the true position of encroachment in the city, particularly the marked areas.

The committee comprises Malik Hanif, Raja Ehtesham, Sher Bahadur, Malik Younus, Haji Abdul Saboor and Sheikh Abid.

Woman councillor Gul Ambreen Minhas criticized the allocation of Rs55,000 for the library of Government Girls College Haripur out of the funds meant for women representatives by the tehsil Nazim.

On this, the tehsil Nazim Iftekhar Ahmed Khan announced that he would allow purchase of grass cutting machines and allocation of funds.