KARACHI, June 18: Nazim of Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town Abdul Wahab on Saturday presented the town’s Rs1.05 billion budget for the year 2005-06 which shows receipts of Rs280 million from Sindh government and a matching grant from the CDGK. Other major sources of income have been shown as Rs360 million from property tax, Rs130 million from municipal regulation (local taxes, property transfer, licence and permit), Rs65 million from infrastructure and services, Rs60 million from Planning (building plan approval), and Rs88 million under miscellaneous head.
As against the total receipts of Rs1.05 billion, the expenditure has been estimated at Rs1.0494 billion out of which Rs800.06 million would be development and Rs247 million would be non-development expenditure.
The nazim pointed out that the allocation for development was a record amount.
An amount of Rs2.5 million has been earmarked for elected members’ honorarium whereas Rs32 million for the development schemes proposed by naib nazims and councillors.
Besides, Rs2 million has been allocated for loans to employees, Rs2 million for grants and scholarship, Rs5 million for a Health Insurance scheme, Rs1 million for sports activities, Rs10 million for provision of residential plots to employees, Rs21.5 million for renovation of old building of Town office, Rs50 million for purchase of solid waste vehicles, Rs43.40 million for solid waste development expenses, Rs82 million for parks and Rs293 million for construction of internal roads.
He said that Rs93.4 million had been set aside for health and sanitation, Rs293 million for construction of roads and footpaths, Rs27.7 million for water supply and sewerage, Rs22.90 million for sewerage, Rs20 million for street lights and Rs83 million for parks, nursery and playgrounds.
Meanwhile, Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town Nazim Abdul Wahab addressing a press conference said that facilities for people had been increased by the town administration and expenditure had been reduced significantly.
Highlighting salient features of the town’s budget, he pointed out that road construction rate had been brought down from Rs40 to Rs25 per square feet. About 6.8 million square feet of roads were constructed at a cost of Rs450 million — 64 per cent of the total development expenditure.
Referring to modification in garbage-lifting vehicles, he said that per vehicle capacity had been increased from three to six tons, thus effecting a reduction in expenditure by 50 per cent in terms of fuel consumption.
Similarly, he said that the health club in the town had previously been earning a monthly rent of Rs500 which was increased to Rs32,000.
Mr Wahab recalled that the budget-2001-02 of the then DMC East was of Rs120 million, whereas the budgets for 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-2005 were of Rs360 million, Rs640 million and Rs750 million respectively.
During the previous year, he indicated, the town administration had remarkably increased its resources by 96 per cent through recovery of arrears.
