KARACHI: Transfer of funds to UCs begins: Each UC to get Rs3.5m
By Azizullah Sharif
KARACHI, Jan 27: The city Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, said on Monday that the transfer of funds to 187 union councils of Karachi has begun, and each UC would initially be getting Rs500,000 shortly.
“Though each union council would be provided Rs 3.5 million in the current year as earmarked in the budget, the current payments are being made to expedite the development works in the megacity,” the Nazim said while delivering his first speech in the city council in the current fiscal year.
In addition to the union councils, all members of the city council elected on reserved seats for women, minority and labourers, would be given Rs500,000 each.
All sorts of development works to be undertaken with the funds being provided to the union councils would be carried out with the consent of the UC nazims, he said.
The city government of Karachi, he said, was being portrayed as a model in the country because developments works carried out during the last 16 months had no parallel in the history, and as such it was a matter of pride for all those associated with it.
He said that during the last 16 months, the city government repaired and reconstructed a number of roads and roundabouts, and solved water and sewerage-related problems. Karachiites, he said, have themselves witnessed that development activities were going on at a fast pace in the city.
He said now the citizens would see more development works in their localities as the city government had started providing funds to all the union councils.
Lauding the women councillors, he said they also represented the country abroad.
Welcoming the city nazim, the convener of the House, Tariq Hassan, said though the council’s Monday session was a general session, it had turned into a special event owing to the presence of the city Nazim in the House and his address to the council members.
Inviting the city Nazim to the council’s rostrum for addressing the House, the convener also suspended the question-hour of the House.
BOYCOTT: Shortly after the city Nazim’s address, the members of the council boycotted the proceedings in protest against the non-production of Gulberg Town’s Union Council Nazim in the House.
Faizanullah is in custody for his alleged involvement in the killing of two activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement — Salman Farooqui and Masood.
The council in its requisitioned session on Jan 23 had resolved to form a House committee under the chairmanship of Naib Nazim or senior presiding officer to meet the Sindh governor, the chief minister and the corps commander to persuade them to hold an independent inquiry into the murder case, and to ensure presence of the UC Nazim in the council’s Monday session.
A member of the council, Siddique Rathore, on a point of order, asked the convener, Tariq Hassan, to inform the House what efforts had been made to ensure the presence of the UC Nazim in Monday’s session.
As he got no satisfactory reply from the convener, Mr Rathore, and other members boycotted the proceedings, saying nothing was important than the safety the UC Nazim.
The House will now meet on Tuesday to dispose of its agenda.
