HYDERABAD, Aug 9: District Coordination Officer Aftab Ahmed Khatri on Thursday directed the officers concerned to lodge FIRs against the chairmen of watercourse associations which were either not cooperating or obstructing the construction work on lining of watercourses under the National Programme for Improvement of Watercourses (NPIW).

Mr Khatri said while presiding over a meeting NPIW officials at his camp office that the district officer of NPIW should issue notices to the chairmen of non-cooperating associations asking them to start work on watercourse lining and lodge FIRs against them of they failed to do so. after learning that 14 watercourse farmers association had not initiated work for a long time.

The DCO directed the mukhtiarkar of Hyderabad rural taluka to help the management of NPIW in implementation of the programme and in taking legal action against defaulting associations.

Mr Khatri said that the government had invested billions of rupees to raise farmers’ standard of living but some elements were intentionally trying to sabotaging the government efforts due to their other personal motives.

He directed the NPIW officers and mukhtiarkars to recover outstanding amount from the associations for doing less work than the funds released to them.

He expressed satisfaction over achievement of annual target for lining of 70 watercourses during 2006-07 and informed the meeting that the authority concerned had targeted lining of 80 watercourses during 2007-08.

The EDO of agriculture, Shahabuddin Siddiqui, said that lining of annual targeted 70 watercourses had been completed and work on 38 other watercourses was in progress.

He informed that 14 watercourse associations had been identified as non-cooperative and an amount of Rs600,000 was outstanding against nine watercourse associations due to lesser work.

All the officers of field team of NPIW concerned, revenue officers and representatives and consultants of the programme attended the meeting.

About 70 per cent development work remains hidden from public eye as these are linked to underground schemes like sewerage and water pipelines, said District Nazim Hyderabad, Kanwar Naveed Jamil on Wednesday.

This he said while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a bridge at Liaquat Colony.

As these schemes, he said were beneficial to general public, therefore even politically and ideologically opposed were all praise for such work.

He further informed of upgrading the under construction 10-bed hospital in Liaquat Colony to 50-bed with all required departments.

The district government will eliminate sense of deprivation from the people who had been exploited by elected representatives he said and added: “Presently 500 big and small roads, hospitals, schools and playground are being constructed to provide latest facilities to masses.”

“The 10-bed Mother and Childcare Centre being upgraded to 50-bed hospital,” said Naveed Jamil.

City Taluka Nazim Javed Jabbar, Chairman Works and Services Committee Munawar Khanzai, the EDO Works and Services Nusrat Pervez Mughal, Nazims, Councillors and others were present on the occasion.