March 12, 2008	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 3, 1429

KARACHI, March 11: The City Council on Tuesday urged the federal government to empower the City District Government of Karachi to collect the toll tax of two mega projects – the Lyari Expressway and the Northern Bypass – which fall within the administrative limits of Karachi.

At present, toll tax is being collected by the National Highway Authority, which a resolution said was injustice to Karachi and called for handing over the control to the CDGK, enabling it to generate more revenue in the interest of the public.

The house passed the resolution unanimously in the absence of opposition members, who staged a walkout, protesting against unreleased uplift funds of the union councils. The resolution, moved by treasury member Abdul Jalil, was hurriedly tabled in the house.

Treasury leader Asif Siddiqui defended the resolution, saying that Karachi needed more revenue for development projects. Mr Siddiqui expressed the hope that the issue would be taken up by the next Sindh government to the federal government.

He regretted that whenever the house took up items on the agenda, the opposition boycotted the session on one pretext or another. He said the issue of UC funds was being raised again and again despite the fact that a clear ruling had been given by the convener that funds would be released as soon as they became available.

Presided over by the naib nazim, the house also adopted seven others resolutions on different issues in the absence of the opposition members.

Ban on graffiti

A unanimously adopted resolution backed a ban imposed by the city nazim on graffiti and urged all the town and UC nazims to take necessary measures to enforce the ban.Another resolution condemned the attack on the house of UC-6 nazim Abdul Majid in Lyari Town and called for action against the culprits. The resolution stressed the need for taking effective measures to improve Karachi’s law and order.

Through another resolution, an ST commercial plot measuring 28.54 acres located at Deh Okiari in Scheme 24, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, was transferred to the Karachi Development Company limited.

The house also adopted a resolution giving its approval of 78 posts in the directorate of parks and horticulture, CDGK, for Roadside Scheme 36 in Surjani Town.

It approved 16 posts for superintending engineers (civil) in BS-19 and 23 additional posts for executive engineers (civil) in BS-18 in the Karachi Water Sewerage Board.

A resolution urged the city government to establish cricket, football and hockey teams in the city on an open trial basis.

The council, through a resolution, also gave its approval for the establishment of the City Institute of Image Management under the supervision of the Naib Nazim Secretariat.

Earlier, when the house resumed its proceedings, several members belonging to the treasury and the opposition drew the attention of the convener to the tragic incidents of suicide bombings in Lahore in which many people were killed and many others wounded.

Subsequently, the house expressed its deep sorrow over the tragic incidents and offered Fateha for the dead. The house also offered Fateh for those killed in a Karachi road incident.

Rowdy scenes were witnessed in the house when both treasury and opposition members tried to argue over different issues while the convener tried to persuade them to follow the day’s agenda.

Opposition members Naseem Khan, Ramzan Awan and Abdul Razzak raised the issue of attack on the house of the UC-6 nazim in Lyari Town and linked it to the deteriorating law and order in Karachi in general and Lyari in particular.

In response, treasury leader Asif Siddiqui said he condemned the act, adding that the law and order situation in the locality had not been satisfactory for quite some time.

Condemning the attack, treasury member Arshad Qureshi expressed concern over the increasing incidents of dacoity and street crime in Karachi.

Tension prevailed in the house over certain remarks of opposition member Shah Jehan Baloch about the sanctity of the house, which were later deleted from the proceedings of the house by the convener. Mr Baloch’s remarks caused uproar in the treasury benches, who asked the opposition member to apologise.

Power breakdowns

The convener had to repeatedly intervene to pacify both sides in the house. While noisy disturbances continued in the house, treasury member Ahsan Siddiqui drew the attention of the convener to the persisting power crisis in the city, saying that he had raised the issue in the previous session.He stressed that the issue was urgent and needed a thorough debate. He called upon every member of the house to take up the issue and suggest ways to overcome the situation.He reminded the house that last year the residents of Karachi were subjected to frequent load-shedding. The convener assured Mr Siddiqui that the issue of power crisis would be taken up in the next session.

Confusion prevailed in the house when some opposition members raised the issue of unreleased UC funds. The convener refused to listen to them and reminded them of her earlier ruling on the issue. This could not satisfy the opposition members and they staged a walkout.

Upon this the convener asked the house to take up the normal agenda of the house. Consequently, in the absence of the opposition the house adopted eight resolutions.

Asif Siddiqui and Masood Mehmood criticised the opposition for creating obstructions in the proceedings of the house, saying that it was their duty to remain in the house and play their due role.

Later, the convener adjourned the house till March 26.