HYDERABAD, June 24: Latifabad Taluka Nazim Abdul Jabbar Khan has demanded utilization of a fund of Rs120 million, announced by the Sindh governor, on improvement of sewerage in the taluka.

Speaking at a press conference at the press club here on Thursday, he warned that union council nazims of his taluka would observe a hunger strike if work on the scheme was not started in two days.

Taluka Naib Nazim Ghulam Mustafa Kalhoro and union council nazims Abdul Qadeer Qazi, Yousuf Qureshi, Ibrahim Chishti, Naseeruddin Humayoon and others were also present on the occasion.

Mr Khan further said sewerage and water supply lines had mixed up in Latifabad with the result people were forced to use filthy water. He regretted that the Hyderabad Development Authority had not been devolved as per the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 2001, and demanded that it should either be handed over to the Sindh government or the district government.

He proposed that Wasa and the HDA should be devolved to district and taluka levels so that their work could be checked by local bodies' representatives. The nazim stressed the need for implementing SLGO provisions.

He said of the Rs120 million fund, Rs70 million had been released which should be utilized on improving sewerage lines in Latifabad. He said the HDA did not have funds to repair machines that were handed over to it by taluka municipal administrations last year.

If sewerage was not improved, desilting of water lagoons and the filter plant would be of no use, he added. Mr Khan demanded that the Sindh chief minister should ensure that Rs500 million of the governor's grant was released soon.

He said the DCO had been apprised of the situation but he was interested more in desilting of filter plant and water settlement tanks of Wasa. He said the Latifabad taluka should be paid more attention as it received sewage of City and Qasimabad talukas. The nazim demanded that work on a drain in Gujrati Para should be expedited.

NOTICES ISSUED: The Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit, on Thursday issued notices to the Sanghar DPO, Tando Adam TPO and the SHO on a petition seeking registration of a murder case of a woman.

Mukhtiar Ali Palejo, a resident of Tando Adam, had filed the petition, alleging that his daughter, Sadori, had been killed by her husband, Ghulam Abbas, and other private respondents Yasin, Ghulam Shabbir, Mooso, Hussain and Darya Khan on May 24. He prayed the court to direct respondent police officers to register an FIR of the murder of his daughter.