HYDERABAD, June 27: The district council on Wednesday approved the Rs3566.908 million budget with a surplus of Rs3,000 amid boycott by Awam Dost Panel (ADP) members, who termed it a jugglery of figures and said that it had failed to address the problems of Qasimabad and Hyderabad (rural) talukas.

The chairman of the council’s finance committee, Q. Mohammad Hakim, said in his report that the council should adopt the budget as it had covered all the issues in accordance with the Budget Rules 2002 and the Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO).

The ADP nazims called for adjournment of session for a day arguing that they needed time to study it and prepare themselves for debate. They could not go through the documents due to their preoccupation with rain related works, they said. But the convener dismissed their contention and said that the day was fixed for debate.

Mehboob Abro's budget speech criticised the district government over development works in Rani Bagh and the issues of Qasimabad taluka. “We admit that Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has changed its policies and improved its attitude but it should be felt by everyone,” he said.

He said that the rural taluka was getting only 1.76 per cent of funds while the rest of the city was getting 96 per cent of funds from the Hyderabad Development Package (HDP), and only 18 per cent money was being spent in Qasimabad from Rs500 million governor's package.

Haq Parast Group's Ghulam Rasool Samoon rejected Abro's criticism saying that the district government had given priority to rural and Qasimabad talukas. A fire station was being set up and 1,000 hand pumps were being handed over to rural taluka, he said.

Pervez Ranjha remarked “I am happy to see that Rani Bagh is being developed by the district government at a cost of Rs75 million as the outgoing government had not spent even a single penny on it.”

A Rs100 million water supply scheme was being executed in Sehrish Nagar and Rs30 million were being spent on sewerage work, he added.

Mrs. Zahida Memon said that the district set aside Rs6 million last year but gave nothing to the members elected on reserved seats. She had recommended a scheme for Aliabad and Talpur Goth but they were not approved.

MMA's Hussain Bux Hussaini described the budget as balanced but urged the district government to respond to the needs of union council nazims who were not getting funds for carrying out development works in their constituencies.

Munawar Khan Zai said that as compared to Latifabad taluka which was getting Rs3.62 billion with 17-UCs, Qasimabad taluka was getting Rs2.23 billion with just four UCs.

Abdullah Shoro called the allocations for 11 UCs of Hyderabad taluka insufficient, which he feared might create a sense of deprivation. Members should have been asked to submit proposals, he said.

Yamin Soomro, who led the boycott, said that Rs100 million expenditure in Qasimabad taluka was being done to facilitate a provincial minister and builder mafia. The budget was not balanced, he added.

Summing up the debate, the chairman of finance committee said the members raised objections to the budget for lack of knowledge about provisions of SLGO. He said that there were 200 entries regarding development in volume-IV and 120 pertained to rural and Qasimabad talukas.