SUKKUR, May 17: The district nazim has offered houses in the city to those residents of Shah Belo Forest and other Kutcha areas who want to move in the wake of an ongoing police operation against outlaws.

Nazim Syed Nasir Hussain Shah made this announcement at a news conference at the press club here on Monday evening. He said that police had advised the law-abiding villagers to shift from the forest and had made it clear that they would not be responsible for any loss occurring to them.

Therefore, Mr Shah said, it had been decided to provide houses and other facilities to the villagers who shifted to Sukkur. He further said that according to a decision of the Sindh government, the operation against the dacoits would continue till each and every bandit was eliminated. In this connection, he said, it had also been decided to establish police stations in the area.

The nazim said that Shah Belo was no more in the possession of its original owners rather was occupied by the dacoits and other people. He said that as soon as wheat harvest was completed, a large-scale and drastic police operation would be launched in the area, during which assistance of the army would also be sought to cross the river.

He said that army experts had already inspected the forest and supplied floating bridges to enable police vehicles and armoured personnel carriers to cross the river and reach the thick forest.

Mr Shah said that it was astonishing that despite the police operation and establishment of checkposts, the dacoits had succeeded in kidnapping two students of the Mono Technical College, Sukkur.

Answering a question, he said that funds announced by the Sindh chief minister and governor for beautification and other projects of Sukkur had not yet been received as the finance division had objected to them.

Similarly, Rs1 million each grant, announced for 46 union councils of the district by the chief minister, had also hit the snags. However, he said that out of Rs120 million grant, announced for Lab-i-Mehran, Rs10 million had been received and the work had started.

He said that the issue of land for a medical college in Sukkur had not yet been resolved and added that 130 acres of land were required for the college for the purchase of which efforts were under way.