RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar on Tuesday said that the budget of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation would be presented on June 29 and the same would be passed by the council. The agenda for budget session has been issued.

Addressing a meeting regarding the budget completion here, the mayor said that 10 per cent increase as announced by the provincial government has been incorporated in the budget but for that they would need additional funds so that the servants could be paid incremented salaries.

He said it was very sad that the Sindh government didn’t incorporate even a single scheme suggested by the KMC and now Karachi city is not going to witness development works next year.

He said that Karachi had already been facing severe issues and non-approval of uplift schemes surely increasing its miseries. He said that National Disaster Management Authority and Meteorological Department have issued urban flood warning as heavy monsoon rains are expected. “Cleanliness of drains could not be done as the provincial government didn’t release funds for the task despite repeated requests of the KMC,” he added.

The Mayor was of the view that the KMC did not have resources to clean the drains from its own resources, urging the provincial government to release funds for the task. Akhtar said that they tried to incorporate schemes which are directly related with welfare of the people, adding that the people would be provided relief through Annual Development Programme.

He said that more development schemes were incorporated in the next fiscal year budget as compared to last year. He said that the KMC was provided only Rs 625 million for Annual Development Programme and the department was denied amount for three quarters by the provincial government that really affected the uplift works in Karachi. He said that the amount was also allocated for incomplete schemes in the next budget so that these could be completed.

Akhtar also expressed displeasure over deduction by the Sindh government in funds for local bodies and said that the third tier of the government had already been facing severe issues and deduction would increase their problems. He said the KMC didn’t have funds even to pay dues of retired employees. “There is need to address the issues of local bodies on urgent basis,” he concluded.