KARACHI: Nazim urges proper utilisation of budget for public welfare
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, July 22: City Nazim Mustafa Kamal has directed the top hierarchy of the city government to evolve a comprehensive strategy for proper and full utilisation of the development budget in the current financial year.
Chairing a meeting, which lasted over five hours, here at his office with EDOs and other departmental heads, the nazim directed them to complete planning at the earliest and launch their respective new public welfare projects.
The meeting discussed the city government’s financial situation, uplift projects to be initiated during the financial year 2007-08 and the problems being faced by departments and steps that should be taken to resolve them.
The nazim stressed the need of coordination between all departments of the city government. He observed that the performance of departments could only be improved with better coordination among the EDOs and their subsidiary departments, which would minimise problems. The meeting also decided to entrust the cleaning work of all nullahs and storm-water drains to the municipal services department from the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, while all resources and staff that have been deputed for cleaning work of nullahs should also be transferred to the municipal services department.
State of hospitals
Mr Kamal also directed the authorities concerned to ensure availability of medicines in all hospitals being run by the city government.
He said that in the past only two companies used to supply medicines to the city government but during the last year-and-a-half, the city government registered 80 pharmaceutical companies and formed a committee comprising representatives of the private sector to improve the medicine procurement process and eliminate corruption.
At present the city government hospitals are providing quality and free of cost medical services to people. These facilities will be further improved during the current fiscal year, the nazim added.
