HYDERABAD, Nov 16: The bureaucracy is sabotaging the devolution system and empowerment of union councils was vital to the success of the devolution plan.
This was stated by the members of the Hyderabad district council on Saturday while concluding the debate on the speech of district Nazim Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzamman.
They asked the bureaucrats to extend cooperation with the council members besides being courteous towards them, adding that it would help the members to solve people’s problems in their respective areas.
The women councillors, who continued to protest against what they described as injustices against them, did not participate in the debate. Saira Naseer, however, spoke on the occasion.
Around 80 resolutions, the council members said, had been adopted by the house regarding various departments but these departments had not even bothered to implement them.
Q. Mohammad Hakim criticised the education department for not ensuring the holding of assemblies and singing of national anthem in the schools.
The district Nazim, Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzamman, and the DCO, Mir Hussain Ali, were also present on the occasion.
Some of the members refused to extend cooperation with the district government regarding recovery of Wasa dues, saying their voters would beat them if they were asked to pay for a utility, which did not ensure uninterrupted and clean water supply.
Ibrahim Chishti said that the people in several units of Latifabad were being supplied water mixed with sewerage water from Qasimabad taluka, adding that 50 per cent of the Wasa arrears should be waived.
Qazi Abdul Qadeer said that the monitoring committees remained ineffective because relevant departments were not being instructed to work with these committees.
He said that a query, sent to the HDA in Oct 2001, about a sports complex remained unanswered till date.
Referring to the agriculture sector, he said that the revenue targets were unrealistic as they were whimsically fixed by the Patwaris and supervisory Tapedars, adding that land revenue and arrears were two entirely different things.
Abdul Khaliq Chandio called for provision of precise information about district council funds and export tax, adding that the same should be distributed equitably.
He said people were deriding the Nazimeen after they had failed to deliver the goods.
He threatened to launch a protest campaign if the Kutchi Abadis in his area were not regularised.
Syed Ghulam Raza Shah Latifi called for upgrading the dispensary in Bhitshah as four million to five million people, who visited during the Urs, did not have medical facilities.