LARKANA, July 12: Larkana Taluka Nazim Qurban Ali Abbasi on Thursday presented a surplus budget of Rs196,457,251 for 2007-08, which the council passed the same day with majority vote.

Convener Yasir Junejo presided over the budget session to the objections of chairman of the finance and budget committee, Dr Aftab Mastoi, that the committee had not given approval to the budget.

The nazim said in his speech that total the income stood at Rs196,457,251 while the expenses were estimated at Rs196,069,581 with the surplus amount of Rs387,670.

He said that the council would increase its revenue from taxes, fees, rents while the lion's share of the budget would be spent on salaries and pensions. The budget allocated just Rs47,310,000 for undertaking development works, he said and added that the council had to clear a huge backlog of Rs70,918,874 as liabilities but in the financial year 2007-08 only Rs11,297,000 would be cleared.

He said that the Sindh government had raised the share in octroi tax to Rs130,137,000, which had been incorporated in the budget. The taluka had set aside Rs25,200,000 for clearing outstanding amount to Hesco, and Rs1.7 million would be spent on streetlights, he said.

He said that Rs43,310,000 had been put aside for carrying out development work in all the 11 union councils. The taluka council in collaboration with South Korea had started work on a Rs1.80 billion worth project of Water Sewerage Treatment Plan on 25 acres land on the airport road. The Korean engineers had started drilling at the site, he said.