TAXILA: The special session convened at the TMA Complex on Saturday to approved the revised 2017-18 budget saw heated debate between treasury and opposition benches.

Although the treasury benches successfully approved the Rs113 million budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year, as well as 279 development schemes in the area, it did so after fiery arguments and a blame game between both sides.

Tehsil Officer Finance Mian Mohammad Usman told the house that under local government rule 36, the budget session was convened on the basis of less or no utilisation, and reserved expenditure was reallocated for the expedition of funds.

He said the revised budget is worth Rs113m, while approximately Rs22m has been allocated for development expenditure and Rs13.1m for non-development expenditure.

The carry over amount from previous fiscal year budget was Rs18.1m, while the estimated income for the remaining fiscal year is Rs17.9m.

Municipal Committee Chairman Syed Mehmood Shah said while addressing the session that new income generation sources have been identified by the civic body, including licence fees, advertisement fees, sanitation taxes, building fees, encroachment fines, nikkah registration fees, road cutting charges and entertainment fees, subject to approval from the district government.

The execution of 279 development schemes was debated in the house, and opposition councillors Syed Mehtab Shah, Malik Mohammad Pervaiz, Syed Itrat Shah and Umais Rasheed took exception to the approval of schemes suggested by PML-N politicians who had lost elections while suggestions by opposition members were not approved.

Treasury members argued that they had approved important, public welfare oriented schemes.

Opposition members also claimed that bogus and dummy schemes were included even though these projects had no grounds.

They alleged that opposition members were not taken into confidence when the 279 development schemes were finalised.

They also alleged that development schemes were being chalked out when the general election is around the corner, so that the ruling party could take credit for the work during the upcoming elections.

The house later approved the revised budget amid uproar from the opposition benches.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2017