MIRPURKHAS, June 28: Mirpurkhas District Nazim Pir Shafqat Hussain Shah Jilani here on Thursday presented Rs2.29 billion budget for 2002-2003 in the district council session.
The district Nazim said Rs1091.079 million had been earmarked for salaries of the employees, Rs840.076 million for education, Rs223.192 million for health, Rs47.1 million for agriculture and food, Rs56.745 million for works and services and over Rs500 million for development works.
He said Rs208 million were allocated for development works under the Annual Development Programme.
Under the Khushhal Pakistan Programme, Rs212.341 million would be spent, out of which Rs51 million and Rs35.2 million would be spent on water supply and drainage schemes, respectively, he added.
The district Nazim said Rs122 million would be used for rehabilitation programme of the drought-affected people and Rs55.9 million on sugarcane cess.
The district Nazim informed that during the current year, Rs35.9 million had been provided to talukas for water supply and drainage system.
He said Rs44.880 million had been earmarked for running the district council, of which Rs22.574 million were for the district council employees and secretariats of Nazim and Naib Nazim.
Hot words were exchanged between Pir Taj Mohammad Shah Jilani and Mir Anwar Talpur during the session as the former objected on monitoring committees.
Jilani, who later staged a walkout, said members of the monitoring committees were not able to highlight problems while Talpur alleged that members were involved in water theft.
Convenor Nawab Mohammad Younus Talpur presided over the session.
RAIN: Thunderstorm, accompanied by rains, hit Mirpurkhas and Tharparkar districts for the second consecutive day, Thursday causing widespread damage in Kutcha areas.
There were reports of frequent power failures in almost all the cities and small towns and accumulated water in law-lying areas paralyzed the transport network.
Meanwhile, Thari families were seen returning to their native towns and villages in a large number following the rainfall. They had left for barrage areas in search of work owing to famine-like situation in their district over the last many years.
SSGC: The businessmen and growers communities of Mirpurkhas have strongly condemned the corrupt officials of the gas company claiming that wrong and inflated bills were being issued to consumers and corrected only after illegal gratification was paid to certain officials.
In a joint statement, Abdul Majeed Shaikh, Vice President of Mirpurkhas Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Raees Ahmed Khan, president of Sindh Agriculture Growers Development Association and others said that consumers were disappointed by the corrupt practices and alleged that the SSGC’s regional office, Hyderabad, supported the local officers.