HYDERABAD, June 10: Elected representatives of local bodies in Qasimabad taluka have alleged that the people of Qasimabad and Rural talukas of Hyderabad district are getting step-motherly treatment from the district government as no development works are being carried out in the two talukas.

They said that Rs6 billion was being spent on development schemes in City and Latifabad talukas but Qasimabad and Rural talukas had been ignored.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Sunday, Qasimabad taluka naib nazim Haider Shahani, union council-3 nazim Yamin Soomro, UC-2 naib nazim Imam Ali Ansari, UC-4 naib nazim Javed Chang and others said that due to discrimination against the two talukas, resentment was being witnessed among the people of the talukas.

They said that the share of Qasimabad taluka in the Hyderabad Development Package was Rs2.27 billion but the district government was not prepared to handover the amount to the taluka administration. He said it was a discriminatory act. Similarly, they said, the Rural taluka was also being ignored.

Mr Shahani said that one-way traffic was going-on in the district. He feared that the attitude of the district government could create confrontation among the people as the mandate given to the elected representatives of the two talukas was not being respected by the district government.

Quoting instances, Mr Shahani said that Niaz Stadium ground was the property of Qasimabad taluka but the district government, without taking the elected representatives of Qasimabad taluka into confidence, had handed over the ground to the Pakistan Cricket Board.

He said the move was unacceptable and the district nazim had been informed that only Qasimabad talukas representatives had the right to enter into negotiation with the PCB.

About the construction of five-star hotel, Mr Shahani said that the taluka administration had no objection but made it clear that five acres of land on which the hotel was proposed to be constructed was the property of Qasimabad taluka. Therefore, he argued, any agreement or negotiations in this regard should be carried out with the Qasimabad taluka administration.

He said that for the development of Rani Bagh, the biggest recreational spot for the people of the district, a tender for Rs80 million was floated eight months ago. He, however, said that the district government had so far released only Rs400,000 as a result the development works had almost been suspended.

Criticising the attitude of the district government, the convenor of the Qasimabad talukas council demanded immediate release of the development funds to accelerate pace of the work.

He said that the infrastructure of Qasimabad, specially roads and drainage system, had been destroyed. He said that during last year's rains, the two talukas had suffered the most and feared that during the coming monsoon season, the situation could be worse. He urged the district nazim to carry out development works in the two talukas.

He was critical of the alleged orders issued by the district nazim to the EDOs not to take any administrative step without his permission.

Mr Shahani alleged that Sindhi employees of education department were being transferred from the city which had created a host of problems for them. He said that the move would not be tolerated.

He recalled that some time back an agreement was reached with the district nazim on 17 points but regretted that not a single point had been implemented.

He called upon the government to release Rs50 million without any loss of time to carry out development works in Qasimabad taluka.

He announced that a seminar would be held on next Sunday to discuss the problems of the two talukas and chalk out a strategy to launch a protest movement against the discriminatory attitude of the district government.