KARACHI: City Mayor Wasim Akhtar announced on Friday 25 per cent rebate for the consumers on the payment of all dues of Municipal Utility and Charge Tax (MUCT) bills.

All consumers can get this concession by paying their complete dues by June 2018, according to an announcement.

The bills from October till December 2017 were also being issued to consumers.

It may be noted that the KMC Council had already given approval to the 25pc concession for MUCT bills to consumers on payment of full dues.

Sources in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation said that the consumers could contact the office of the MUCT department located at the Markaz-i-Islami on Shahrah-i-Pakistan plot no ST-9, Block 7, Federal B Area, near Ayesha Manzil for payment of their dues.

The MUCT department requested the consumers to pay their bills without delay so that better municipal services could be provided to them.

Meanwhile, the mayor assured delegations of citizens from Baldia Town and Madina Colony Malir that the KMC would perform public welfare works in their areas and elected representatives will continue to play their role in the betterment of the city.

He was talking to delegations from Baldia Town and Madina Colony Malir at his office in the presence of Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Syed Saif-ur-Rehman, land committee chairman Syed Arshad Hassan, chairman of works committee Hassan Naqvi, DG works Iqtidar Ahmed, senior director coordination Masood Alam, director technical S.M. Shakaib and other officers.

The delegation from Baldia informed the mayor about demolition of marriage lawns in their area which they said made them jobless and their families were suffering due to this situation.

They asked that the matter may be considered on humanitarian grounds.

Mayor Akhtar said that the demolition of marriage lawns was in accordance with the verdict of the Supreme Court and it was never aimed at leaving anyone jobless.

He said if they had any documentary evidence of having their business on commercial plot or in favour of their claim of valid allotment then they should submit this and this would be considered.

He said action against encroachments was in the larger interest of people of the city and in this regard all relevant rules and regulations would be adopted.

The delegation from Madina Colony Malir said that union councils 28 and 29 were facing acute shortage of water supply which caused immense trouble for the people.

They also cited other problems and asked the mayor to take action for resolving such issues.

The mayor said that though supply of water and sewerage system was not the responsibility of the KMC, however, in order to save people from further trouble, the local government was utilising its resources to correct and streamline the water and sewerage system in different areas of Karachi.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2018