HYDERABAD, May 12: Details of assets of the district government offices remain unknown due to delay in the appointment of a deputy district officer for estate. This was revealed by inquiries conducted by this correspondent on Wednesday.

Dr Ayaz Arain, Nazim, union council-10, City taluka, had also sent questions to the EDO, revenue, in this regard but had not received any reply. Yousuf Qureshi, Latifabad Union Council-10 Nazim said that section 123(1)(2) of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001 bound the district nazim to submit a complete report of the movable and immovable properties of the district government at the council.

In January this year, the district government had decided to appoint a DDO (estate) to deal with the issue. However, the appointment has not been made as yet and the issue has lingered on.

A revenue department official said that details of assets of the defunct district council could be obtained but getting details of assets of a groups of offices of the district government was an arduous task.

He claimed that it was not yet known whether a separate post of the DDO (estate) would be created or an official from the existing staff would be entrusted with the job.

Union Council-4 Nazim Qazi Abdul Qadeer said that during inaugural session of the district council, its members had saw heavy machinery lying on the premises of the council but soon they were removed.

He said that so far there was no mention of the machinery as to where they had gone, despite repeated calls for reports on them at the council. Section 180 of the SLGO 2001 calls for handing over of the properties, assets and liabilities of the defunct district council to the district government.

The district council had called for a detailed report on movable and immovable assets of the defunct district council. The council had adopted two resolutions in the last two years yet the issue had remained unresolved.

The EDO, finance and planning, Syed Sikandar Shah, said that he had collected details of assets of the defunct district council and soon present them at a council session. The properties of the defunct district council included some shopping centres, veterinary hospital and dispensaries.