Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has vowed to make KarachiMetropolitan Corporation (KMC) a financially stable organization by giving it a workable financial model and reorganizing its various wings responsible for revenue collection. For the purpose, he constituted a committee headed by Minister Local GovernmentSyed Nasir Shah, Advisor law Murtaza Wahab, Secretary Local Government Najam Shah and Administrator KMC Laiq Ahmed to submit their recommendations to make the KMC a financially stable organization.
He took this decision while presiding over a meeting to review the financial condition of the KMC which has failed to pay salaries to its senior employees from the months of November and December, 2020. The meeting was attended by MinisterLocal Government Syed Nasir Shah, Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab,PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Local Government Najam Shah, Administrator KMC Laiq Ahmed and other concerned officers.
The chief minister said that it was quite disturbing to know that Karachi,being the industrial hub of the country, was financially running the entire country but its metropolitan corporation had bogged down in the financial crisis and was unable to pay the salaries to its senior officers. “We have to overhaul various wings of the KMC, particularly those which are responsible for revenue collection,” he said.MinisterLocal Government Nasir Shah said that the DMCs, under the guidance of the chief minister, have not only curtailed their non-development expenditures but have enhanced their revenue collection.
Quoting the example of the DMC South, NasirShah said that it used to collect Rs9 million from charged parking and now it has enhanced the collection to Rs750 million. “This is something to plug the pilferages,”the chief minister said.
The minister also said that the DMC Korangi used to utilize Rs20 million on lifting of filth and garbage from their area but now with better management they have curtailed the expenditure to Rs9 million only. Similarly, the DMC Central has enhanced its collection from shops and such other establishments. The chief minister said that the KMC has valuable assets such as it has beautiful parks in the city and huts along the beach. Why the KMC was not operating them on PPP mode so that they not only became a reasonable source of revenue for it but could be maintained properly.
AdministratorKMCLaiq Ahmed briefing the chief minister said that there were around 1.4million establishments/properties from where the KMC collected MunicipalUtility& Conservancy Tax (MUCT) but this time it could have only collectedRs280 million from 35,000 units. Citing the example, he said the contractor had no printed bills/receipts to collect the tax.
Meanwhile, PPP termed the reference filed by NationalAccountability Bureau (NAB) against Chief Minister as an attack on Sindh.
Secretary Information PPP Parliamentarians, Shazia Atta Marri MNA, reacting to the filing of the reference, said that just yesterday a reference was filed against a senator from Sindh, the Deputy Chairman Senate, Salim Mandviwalla. “Whenever NAB finds Imran Khan in trouble, it starts victimising opposition.
The Broadsheet scandal has exposed the NAB completely.” Shazia said that the nexus between the NAB and Niazi is a threat to the country’s stability.
“Why NAB not acts on sugar, BRT, flour, LNG and other corruption scandals,” she asked. She said that this act reminds the people of Sindh the bitter memories of Rawalpindi.
“The government should stop targeting and attacking Sindh through NAB,” she said.
