Mayor presents Rs27.135bn KMC budget for 2017-18

Published June 20, 2017
Mayor Wasim Akhtar presents the KMC budget in the City Council.—APP
Mayor Wasim Akhtar presents the KMC budget in the City Council.—APP

KARACHI: Mayor Wasim Akhtar on Monday unveiled Rs27.135 billion budget of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) with a deficit of Rs300.084 million for financial year 2017-18.

Calling his administration’s opening budget and first by an elected mayor since 2009 ‘healthy’, the Karachi mayor said 49 per cent of the budget would be spent on city’s development, which was much higher in the ratio than what had been allocated in federal and provincial budgets.

Mayor Akhtar presented the budget before a packed city council meeting in the Victorian-era KMC building in which none of the members from the opposition raised any voice of dissent.

Later, he told Dawn that the budget was prepared by duly incorporating opposition’s proposals, which made it a consensus document for the house. “Such a unique gesture sets example for the national and provincial legislatures as how to govern by taking every elected representative along,” he said.

The budget shows total receipts of Rs26,835.587 million, which include Rs18,015.485m as current receipts and Rs1,795.5 as capital receipts.

Funds for provincial Annual Development Programme (ADP), district ADP and Viability Gap Funding (VGF) is Rs7,024.602m.

Total expenditure will be Rs27,135.67 million, including Rs11,738.239m allocation for establishment, Rs2,075m contingent expenses, and Rs251.685m for repair and maintenance. Besides, Rs6,045m has been allocated for development projects and works; while expenditures from provincial ADP, district ADP and VGF will be Rs7,024.602m.

The budget shows Rs12,782.352m grants from government, Rs7,024.602m as provincial ADP, district ADP and VGF, Rs1,830.76m from revenue departments (land, enforcement, estate, katchi abadis, Orangi project, and charged parking), Rs1,716.176 KMC dues against K-Electric, Rs1,291m from finance and accounts, Rs612.43m from transport and communication, Rs500m dues against KPT, Rs500m from transfer of income from the SBCA, Rs178.6m from secretariat etc; and similar revenues from culture, sports and recreation, medical and health services, municipal services, enterprise and investment promotion, parks and horticulture, and engineering etc.

Summary of expenditure, as given by the mayor, includes Rs5 billion on debt servicing, pension fund and other miscellaneous expenditures, Rs4bn on medical and health services, Rs3.76bn on municipal services, Rs897m on parks and horticulture, Rs866m on revenue department, Rs773m on secretariat, Rs674m on culture, sports and recreation, and Rs425m on transport and communication.

Development projects

The budgetary allocations on major development projects from provincial ADP include Rs1,667m on district ADP (block allocation), Rs1bn on public private partnership projects, Rs1bn on development works at different union councils (KMC funds), Rs420m on development works at different union councils (ADP funds), Rs350m on improvement and upgrade of Nehr-i-Khayyam, Rs350m on commercial parking plaza at Shahabuddin Market including Phase-II, Rs250m on improvement of roads, footpaths and bridges (patchwork), Rs250m on development and improvement of major roads, Rs200m on special development projects or works coming under the mayor’s discretion, Rs200m on cleaning and removal of silt from storm water drains (municipal services), Rs150m on unforeseen development expenditure, Rs100m on development works at Orangi Cottage Industrial Area, Rs100m on construction of new fire stations, Rs100m on lighting arrangement along major roads (KMC), Rs100m each on development of Zulfikarabad Oil Terminal Phase-II and improvement of flyovers, underpasses and bridges, Rs80m on development and improvement of KMC parks, Rs50m each on repairs and maintenance of fire tenders and snorkels and CCIS (Citizens Complaint and Information System), Rs40m on annual maintenance of hospitals, clinics, maternity homes and staff quarters, and Rs25m on wireless video surveillance security system.

From district ADP, Rs1,884.1m will be kept for infrastructure of roads, Rs130m on municipal services, Rs116m on transport and communication, Rs147m on education, Rs290m on health, and Rs676m on culture and tourism.

The minimum wage for a KMC employee, including those hired on a contractual basis, would be Rs15,000 from the next financial year, said the city mayor.

In his speech that continued for more than an hour, Mayor Akhtar criticised the provincial government for depriving the KMC of many sources of income, which would have made it self-reliant and richer than other governments.

The key sources of income, he said, were BTS mobile towers, the revenue of which had been given to the SBCA, several veterinary taxes had been given to the Karachi District Council, charged parking had been distributed among the KMC, the DMCs and the KDA, KMC’s advertisement revenue had gone to DMCs, Rs500m monthly grant by the Sindh government had been cut by Rs200m to be given to the KDA, while bachat bazaars were no longer in the KMC’s domain.

He said despite ‘prejudiced’ attitude of the Sindh government, the KMC had completed 225 schemes costing Rs4.25bn, which fell under the provincial ADP. He said not a single of the 143 schemes costing Rs25bn, which local representatives had sent to the Sindh government to be incorporated in the Karachi development package, had been approved.

He spoke at length about his administration’s work in the sectors of medical and health, education, sanitation, removal of encroachment, revival of food lab, cleaning of drains, charged parking, city wardens, veterinary services, municipal utility charges tax, parks and horticulture, environmental efforts and welfare of KMC employees and pensioners.

Regarding the fire brigade, Mayor Akhtar said the department had improved but its two snorkels were not able to put out fire beyond eighth storey.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2017

Opinion

Editorial

‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....
Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...