HYDERABAD, March 18: District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil has said the local government will spend over Rs1.2 billion on 25 schemes of communication, sewerage and water supply in the Qasimabad taluka.

He was speaking at a reception hosted by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Qasimabad branch, at the Naseem Nagar chowk on Friday night.

The nazim said the district government would launch 25 projects in the Qasimabad taluka before June 30 at a cost of Rs1,203.90 million. He said work on some of the schemes had already been started.

He said the schemes included construction of the Shaikh Ayaz Road, construction of a road from Ali CNG to the city school, nine other schemes of internal roads of Qasimabad, improvement and capacity building of the Jamshoro filter plant, laying of a 60” diameter water supply pipeline from the Jamshoro filter plant to the Thandi Sarak pumping station, laying of a water supply pipeline from the old filter plant to Sehrish Nagar, installation of a pumping station in the Sheedi village, installation of the Qasimabad sewerage treatment plant, laying of a 24” diameter new sewerage line from Chandia Goth to Gulistan-i-Sajjad, development of the Ranibagh, establishment of a computer laboratory in the Government Boys’ High School, construction of an auditorium in the Government Girls’ High School, establishment of a basic health unit in Sehrish Nagar and installation of two schemes of water purification plants.

He said that a master plan to meet needs up to 2015 and identify and evaluate requirements up to 2025 was being prepared. He pledged that under this plan, the Qasimabad taluka would be developed at par with other areas.

Earlier, Anwar Tunio of Qasimabad announced to join the MQM along with his 200 supporters.

Action demanded: Residents of Ayesha Manzil, Hirabad, have appealed to authorities to take action against a builder trying to raise the fifth floor on the housing project.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Saturday, Anwar Ahmad Khan, Rao Mohammad Ali, Syed Jamil, Abid Qureshi and others urged the district nazim to enforce his orders against construction of multi-storey buildings.

Speaking on behalf of residents, Mr Khan feared that if construction of the fifth floor was not stopped, Ayesha Manzil would collapse because its beams and columns had developed cracks. He said that even otherwise, the builder had nothing to do with Ayesha Manzil because he had sold all flats four years back and it was no longer his property.

He said the fifth floor was not envisaged in the original building plan but the builder, in collusion with the building control department, was trying to raise the floor illegally. He said an application had been sent against the builder to the director-general of the Hyderabad Development Authority and the anti-corruption department informing them that the builder had managed to get approval for the revised plan by paying a huge bribe. He said the HDA official had sent an expert team which had reported that beams, columns and walls of the project had developed cracks. He said the official had then passed an order that no further construction should be carried out.

He, however, said that after sometime, the builder again resumed construction and the HDA director general convened an inquiry in the Shahbaz building on March 9. He alleged that when he went to attend the inquiry, he was issued murder threats by the builder and his hoodlums and he had to seek refuge in the office of the information director.

He said that taking notice of the incident, the DPO ordered registration of an FIR at the cantonment police stations. However, he said, after registration of the FIR the builder was using his influence to get the FIR disposed of as false and was also threatening him with dire consequences.

He appealed for justice.