KARACHI: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly was informed that the share of Octroi Zilla Tax (OZT) fund amounting to Rs160bn was being released to the local councils in the current year.

Additional Chief Secretary Local Government Khalid Haider Shah told the PAC meeting, held with Chairman Nisar Khuhro in chair, that the local councils had Rs120bn rupees OZT share last year, which was increased by Rs40bn this year.

The PAC chairman said that despite providing Rs160bn to local councils across the province, people were questioning the performance of local bodies institutions.

He said that there were at least 70 employees in each UC, including Muslim sanitary workers who did not even do sanitation work. “We want the local councils to spend the funds for the betterment of the people and the perception of the department will improve, otherwise the concept of local government will fail,” he remarked.

Mr Khuhro said that salaries of the employees of the local government department and local councils should be made online so that development work could be done only at the grassroots level with OZT funds.

He further said that due to the fact that the salaries were not paid online, the complaints of deduction in the salaries of the employees were being received separately.

The additional chief secretary said that an integrated financial system was being introduced to pay online the salaries of the employees.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2024