KARACHI, Sept 12: Union councils of different parts of the city are facing serious financial crisis owing to their limited resources and meagre amount of grant being given to them by the city district government under the head of Zila tax.

Nazimeen of different union councils deplored that on the one hand they were not being able to meet even minimum financial requirements of their union councils and on the other hand they were being forced by the town administrations concerned to arrange salaries of the UCs establishment staff.

At a meeting presided over by Jamshed Town’s Jutland Union Council (UC-8) Nazim Mehfoozun Nabi Khan, UC Nazimeen Tazeem Ahmed Siddiqui and Masroor Ahmed Khan said it was unjustified on the part of town administrations’ Nazimeen to pressure UC Nazimeen to pay salaries to the staff posted there by the town administrations.

They said that contrary to the city government’s letter (CDGK/F&P/Exp/0571/2001) through which the UCs had been told not to utilise the monthly grant of Rs75,000 on salaries, Jamshed Town’s Nazim vide his letter (JT/319/82 dated Aug 17) had advised the UC Nazimeen to pay salaries to the UCs staff through their funds and as such the staff had not received their salary of July.

They urged the National Reconstruction Bureau chairman to intervene in the matter to help save the local government system by making union councils financially strong as the UCs, particularly, those representing low-income groups, could not generate funds.

Endorsing the views of the Nazimeen, councillors of different union councils, including Haji Shamim Siddiqui, Allauddin Alvi, Raees Khan, Uzma Umar and Farida Begum, demanded that the city Nazim should ensure proper funding of the UCs. They said that otherwise the UCs would not be able to resolve basic problems of their constituents.