KARACHI, Jan 15: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan said here on Tuesday that being an elected representative he was opposed to the imposition of new taxes, however, he had proposed levy of taxes for generating more funds for the development of the city.

“The total revenues of the City Government are about Rs5 billion, whereas it requires Rs15 billion annually for undertaking development schemes in Karachi,” he said while speaking at a reception hosted in his honour by the Pakistan Tea Association.

The municipal structure of the city had changed with the establishment of the City Government which would also take over Karachi Water and Sewerage Board and the Karachi police, adding another 85,000 employees to its existing strength of 0.135 million, the Nazim said and added that without generating more revenues, it would not be possible for the City Government to tackle administrative matters and carry out development projects.

The Nazim said that Karachi had scores of problems; its roads are in a dilapidated condition, sanitation services have failed owing to lack of vehicles, water supply lines are obsolete with the result that 40 per cent of water goes to waste and sewerage system could not be replaced due to scarcity of funds. All these tasks require finances, he said, and added that not a single penny would be misused.

The Nazim said that resources of the City Government were limited while problems were multifarious and, as such, the businessmen and industrialists should cooperate towards the progress of this megapolis.

Naimatullah said that Pakistan was indebted to its industrialists who played an important role towards its progress and reconstruction and he promises to bring an improvement and a change in the conditions, if they cooperate for enhancing the city government’s resources.

KIDNEY CENTRE: Nazim Karachi Naimatullah Khan visited the kidney ward in Civil Hospital on Tuesday.