KARACHI, Dec 4: The City District Government has invited proposals from 178 union councils of the city, as well as the councillors elected on the reserved seats of minorities, on undertaking various development schemes to be initiated with an estimated cost of Rs140 million.

The UCs and councillors have been advised to submit their proposals by Dec 15 with the office of the Executive

District Officer, Works and Services, where a separate cell has been established for the purpose.

Well-experienced senior engineers are being posted at the cell, established on permanent basis, with a task to ensure completion of the schemes under the control of the respective UCs.

The City Government has also decided to complete the schemes before June 20 next year and benefit from the proposals invited to execute them perfectly.

The City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, has directed the finance department to release the required funds without delay and remove bottlenecks, if any, as these development schemes are in the greater interest of the city.

He has also constituted a nine-member committee to examine the proposals and take practical measures for the execution of the schemes.

The EDO, Works and Service, Brig (r) Zaheer Qadri, will be the chairman of the committee and the City Council members, Abdul Aziz, Abdul Rasheed Baig, Saleem Azhar and one representative each from councils and certain departments, including Finance, Planning and Development, will be its members.

It may be noted that the City Government, in its annual budget 2002-03, had allocated Rs3.5 million to each of the UCs and Rs0.5 million to each of the councillors elected on the reserved seats of woman, labour and minorities to undertake the development schemes.—PPI