KARACHI, March 23: The city government is looking forward for alternative means to boost its income as a major chunk of its development budget, ie Rs 3.5 billion, would be consumed by the salaries of its employees whose strength would shoot up to about 2,25,000 in June, following the merger of KWSB and the police with the city government.

This was stated by the City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, while speaking as chief guest at the inauguration of a dispensary built in Korangi’s P&T Society by a philanthropist.

The Nazim said he had decided to seek development funds from overseas Pakistanis instead of getting conditional loans from world monetary organisations.

A number of overseas Pakistanis residing in Saudi Arabia and UAE had shown interest in providing funds for development projects and had signed MoUs with the city government.

He said soon he would be visiting Turkey and Iran for seeking investment for upliftment plans and was also actively considering a proposal received from Switzerland for improving the city’s transport system.

Citing reasons for the city government’s financial problems, he said although the federal government had been providing a matching grant in lieu of octroi that was abolished in 1998, the government on the one hand had not included a 15 per cent raise which the defunct KMC used to increase each year in its income of octroi, and, on the other, the cheques of the amount are often delayed.

He said that the city government within a short span of time had initiated work on Lyari Expressway, Shah Faisal Flyover, FTC Flyover and Nishtar Road whereas the foundation-stone of the city’s two other vital projects i.e. K-3 project of water and Northern Bypass will be laid by president in April.

Others who spoke included Mian Inam Elahi Mumtaz, project director M. Samiullah Sharif, Korangi Town’s Nazim M. Jamil Khan, Landhi Town’s Nazim Mohammad Shahid and ex-MPA Aslam Mujahid.