KARACHI, June 22: A record Rs44,208.50 million tax-free budget of the City District Government Karachi for 2006-07 was unveiled by City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal on Thursday, showing a surplus of Rs121.40million.
The “development-cum-welfare-oriented” budget was presented by the nazim at the budget session of the City Council in which he also announced setting up of a community policing system for Karachi at town level.
Moreover, an amount of Rs 10 billion, which comes to around 23 per cent of the total volume of the next fiscal year’s budget, has been allocated for education.
The surplus amount is expected to increase if the Sindh government takes back administrative control of the city colleges. It would result in a saving of around Rs 1 billion.
In his maiden budget speech in the City Council which met with its convener and the city Naib Nazim, Mrs Nasreen Jalil, in the chair, the Nazim stated that an initial amount of Rs 20m has been earmarked for the community policing setup, and also announced setting up of city’s first cadet college in Gadap at a cost of Rs320.60m and six other colleges in various city areas for which Rs250m have been earmarked.
Moreover, 36 model schools are being established, two in each town, at a cost of Rs400m.
Amid thumping of desks, the nazim announced to increase salaries of the KWSB’s kundimen from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000.
He deplored that the kundimen perform the task of cleaning of sewerage lines, but are paid a maximum salary of Rs5,000. Mr Kamal further announced that Rs5m have been allocated in the budget for the welfare of the families of those kundimen who die during the course of their job.
A major chunk of Rs 15,836.46 million has been allocated for Works and Services followed by Rs 9,402.79 million for education, Rs 3,038.90 million for health, Rs 2,622.50 for towns and union councils as their share, Rs 1,815.40 million for funds for 178 union councils, ladies, general and minority seats, Rs 1,643.16 million for ADP, Rs 1,105.42 million for coordination, Rs 687.56 milion for revenue, Rs 547.03 for mass transit cell, Rs 434.38 million for community development, Rs 100 million for master plan and Rs 5,305.92 for Water and Sanitation Department etc.
Explaining the concept of introducing community policing system in the city, he said only those residing in the jurisdiction of the town concerned will be given jobs in the setup.
Regarding health, he said Rs3,038,90m have been allocated for the sector in the next year’s budget which comes to eight per cent the total volume.
The major projects to be undertaken in the fiscal 2006-07 include setting up of cardiac departments in Orangi’s Qatar hospital, Liaquabad No 10 hospital, Korangi-5, PIB Colony Maternity Home, Liaquatabad, Old Thano, Malir, Gadap and Shah Faisal Colony hospitals, expansion of health facilities in Rehri, Gadap city, Metroville, Gulshan-i-Iqbal; Sector 14-A, Baldia Metroville-II, Landhi/Korangi, Usman Goth, Bin Qasim, Ibrahim Hyderi/Lasssi Goth, Shershah, Keamari, Hashim Goth, Mondal Goth, Azam Basti, Saeedabad, Baldi Town and provision of additional 100-bed in New Karachi hospital.
A pediatric cardiac surgery ward would be set up in the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases with the cooperation of provincial government at a cost of Rs400m.
Drawing a parallel between the budget presented by him and by the previous leadership, he said the 2005-06 budget amounted to Rs43.82 billion, but after its revision, it was slashed to Rs40.26 billion. If MDA and LDA budget of Rs6.81 billion is also deducted from the 2005-06 fiscal, the volume of the budget announced by him is higher, as there is a difference of about Rs7 billion.
Elaborating, he said of the total Rs44,208.50 million, a huge amount of Rs22,115.9 million has been earmarked for development projects as against non- development projects as against non-development expenditures of Rs21,971.2 million for the next fiscal.
In addition to the amount kept for development projects in the fiscal 2006-07 budget, he said that the Haq Parast leadership initiated a number of mega projects with the help of foreign investors in a short span of eight months and these projects would be completed at a cost over Rs55 billion, he said.
About provision of facilities in Goths, he said that the CDGK has decided develop city’s goths as model villages, and an equal amount would be allocated to urban and rural UCs. A special `Goth Infrastructure Development Fund’ is being set up in this regard, he said.
TRANSPORT: The Nazim said the CDGK has allocated Rs500m for introducing 650 jumbo-size buses in the city in 2006-07 and shortly afterwards 481 old buses would be removed from the city.
Referring to Karachi Circular Railway, he said with a view to implementing the KCR’s restoration plan, the city government is actively considering different proposals concerning financial assistance.
At the outset, he said that work aimed at preparing the city’s master plan up to year 2020 has already begun.
He also announced that the existing disparities in allowances of employees of defunct KDA, KMC and KWSB had been brought to an end.
FIRE BRIGADE: Rs110 million have been allocated for purchasing two snorkels, and a search and rescue team on the pattern of international standards was being set up with the federal government’s funds amounting to Rs350m while 22 small vehicles will be handed over to Fire Brigade department for setting up disaster management.
INDUSTRIAL ZONES: The CDGK has started rehabilitating infrastructure of all the four industrial zones of the city by initiating roads and streets’ construction work and laying water and sewerage lines at an estimated cost of Rs4.5b.
He said the present leadership of the CDGK was serving all the 18 towns of the city without any discrimination.
Work has begun on a special development package for Lyari amounting to over Rs800m. In addition, water course and water tanks are being built in Gadap’s rural areas at an estimated cost of Rs120m, he added.
CITY LIBRARY: About the central library, he said that it would be set up in North Nazimabad Town at an estimated cost of Rs100m and funds for the project were being provided by Sindh government under the ADP.
K-III PROJECT: Mentioning the recently commissioned 100 mgd K-III project, Mr Kamal said since the project was accorded top priority, it was not only accomplished three months ahead of its scheduled date, but a huge amount of Rs750m was also saved from its actual cost.
He said a project aimed at plugging leakages and repairing and replacing of pipelines has been initiated at a cost of Rs900m and all the 18 towns had been given Rs50m each. Besides, a number of water and sewerage schemes are under way in different parts of the city at a cost of Rs8b, he added.
SECTOR-WISE ALLOCATIONS: A major allocation of Rs15,836.46m has been made in the city district government budget for Works and Services Department, followed by the education sector which comes to Rs9,402.79 million.
The budget documents show the CDGK’s total receipts at Rs 44,208.50m as against its total expenditures of Rs44,087.10m, showing a surplus budget of Rs121.40m.
The budget documents show the CDGK will receive Rs1,643.16m from Sindh government under the head of annual development programme (ADP) and Rs9,995.85m as salary/non-salary components for the devolved departments of Sindh government.
The following are the details of sector-wise allocations made in the budget:
Health (Rs3,038,90m), share of towns/union councils (Rs2,622.50m), funds for 178 union councils, ladies, general and minorities councilors (Rs1,815,40m), ADP (Rs1,643.16m), Coordination (Rs1,105.42m), Revenue (Rs687.56m), Mass Transit Cell (Rs547.03m), Community Development (Rs434.38m), Finance and Planning (Rs393.69m), Transport and Communication (Rs323.17m), debt servicing and pension fund and other miscellaneous expenditure (Rs279.70m), Information Technology (Rs203.57m), Nazim Secretariat (27.63m), Naib Nazim and Council Secretariat (Rs140.64m), Agriculture (Rs121.56m), Master Plan (Rs100.04m), Law (Rs 29.15m), Enterprise and Investment Promotion (Rs19.77m) and Literacy (Rs8.66m).
MAJOR ALLOCATIONS: The other major allocations have been made for undertaking development works in all the 178 union councils for which Rs1,699.90m have been kept aside, for detailed study on private/public partnership-based environment friendly public transport system for Karachi/implementation of bus project--GOP (Rs500m),model school/campuses project (Rs400m), development and improvement of inter-city, towns and union councils roads and inter-sections (Rs200m), improvement and maintenance of roads, footpaths, culverts, roundabouts and intersections (Rs300m), construction of parking plaza (Rs200m), development/improvement of various parks of the CDGK (Rs150.59m), development works citizen community board—CDGK’s share(Rs150m), Karachi Medical and Dental College (Rs145m), Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases (Rs125m), purchase of fire tenders and equipment, water tender (Rs106.30m), development and improvement of inter-towns roads in City District (Rs100m), housing scheme funds for CDGK employees (Rs100m), development works proposed by the city’s women councilors (Rs88.50m), construction of Banaras interchange (Rs88m), etc.
KARACHI, June 22: A record Rs44,208.50 million tax-free budget of the City District Government Karachi for 2006-07 was unveiled by City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal on Thursday, showing a surplus of Rs121.40million.
