DADU, March 27: District Nazim Malik Asad Sikandar has complained that the Sindh finance department has not released the budget approved by the district government for 2003-4.

Talking to journalists in Kotri on Saturday, he said the district government was facing problems due to the non-release of the budget.

He said in 2002-3, the Sindh government had released an extra amount of Rs300 million for the education department which, he alleged, was misused by officials of the department. For the current financial year, the district government deducted Rs300 million from the education department's funds , he added.

The Nazim said the district government had unearthed a fraud of Rs70 million in the education department's 2002-3 budget. He said he had sent relevant documents to the Sindh government but no action had been taken against officials responsible.

He said Rs50 million was lying surplus with the district government and he wanted to distribute the amount among union council Nazims for carrying out development works according to resolution unanimously passed by the district council but the treasury and finance departments were not allowing the transaction.

TRADERS PROTEST: Hundreds of traders and industrialists took out a protest procession here on Saturday against collection of taxes at four different places on the Indus Highway in the district.

The protesters, carrying banners and raising slogans against the market committee assistant director and contractors, marched through main roads of the city and held a demonstration on the Dadu-Larkana railway track at the New Chowk.

They were led by Dadu Chamber of Commerce president Ghulam Shah Malkani, district Grain Merchants Association president Sikandar Lakhair, district Flour Mills Association president Ghulam Hussain Soomro and representatives of other trade organizations.