KARACHI, June 30: The outgoing nazim and naib nazim of the hard pressed Lyari Town municipal administration on Thursday called for making the present local government system stronger by focusing on backward areas of Karachi, hitherto neglected, in development activities. Nazim Abdul Khalique Juma and Naib Nazim Malik Mohammad Khan Awan demanded that the policy of developing the already developed areas should now be reversed.

They said that eight of the 18 towns in Karachi district were considered to be backward and deserved adequate financial support for their development needs.

Mr Juma recalled that the backward towns had been facing financial constraints for the past four years. In the case of Lyari Town, the issue had been raised at all available forums and taken up even with President Pervez Musharraf, who had promised to get the same resolved.

He said that the relevant authorities had been requested to tackle the issue on the basis of an appropriate sharing formula but with the only exception to salaries and fuel requirement, no funds had been released to the town, preventing it from being developed.

He pointed out that last year, the set development targets could not be achieved due to paucity of funds. He reiterated his demand that the town be extended financial support through aid and grants so that it could be able to execute its uplift plans.

Mr Awan criticized the indifferent attitude of the provincial government, as well as the CDGK, towards the town’s financial needs, saying that it was subjected to a step-motherly treatment.

He said that the town was being victimized on political grounds.