KARACHI, Sept 21: The combined opposition in the City Council on Thursday boycotted the session in protest against rejection of their resolution regarding release of funds for nazims of union councils, threatening that they would not attend the session unless the issue was resolved.
Both the Treasury and Opposition leaders tabled two separate resolutions on the issue. The resolution submitted by the opposition urged the city government to release funds meant for union councils and for members of special seats to enable them to carry out their development works at the grass-root level.
A sum of rupees of 9.5 million for union councils and Rs1. 5 for members of special seats has been earmarked in the budget 2006-07.
The resolution, tabled by the treasury benches, urged the city government to take measures for release of the union council and special seat funds while at the same time expressed satisfaction over the pace of development works in the city after recent rains.
Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil presided over the session and submitted both the resolutions for vote. The resolution moved by the opposition was rejected, creating fireworks in the house and Opposition members left the house in protest.
Later, the leaders of combined opposition, led by Saeed Ghani and Rafique Ahmed, told newsmen that they were boycotting the session in protest against the attitude of the treasury benches towards the problems of union councils, saying that the union councils had been made ineffective because of lack of funds.
They also criticized the city government for not releasing funds to union councils last year also, saying the treasury had never been serious on the issue. It urged the City Nazim to mend its ways, otherwise, they would have no other option but to resign.
Later, the Niab Nazim called a joint meeting of the treasury and opposition leaders at her office. Present on this occasion were Asif Siddiqui, Mehmood Masood, Saeed Ghani and others.
The Naib Nazim assured the Opposition that she would take up the issue of UCs funds in next meeting, but the opposition leaders told her that they would continue to boycott the session unless the issue was settled before the convening of the next session.
Earlier, the house adopted a treasury resolution demanding that the Karachi Medical and Dental College be given status of a medical university and it should be renamed as City University of Health Sciences and CDGK’s hospitals which include KIHD, Abasi Shaeed Hospital, Sobhraj Maternity Hospital, Rafiq Shaheed Employees Hospital, Gazdarabad Home and General Hospital, Gizri Maternity Home, Spencer Hospital, Leprosy Hosiptal and Karachi Medical and Dental College be given status of teaching hospitals and they should be regarded as components of the City University of Health Sciences as being a constituted institute.
The council also passed a resolution for issuance of a separate gazette for Karachi city and appointment of staff for this purpose. Besides, the treasury also adopted a resolution on method of recruitment in Homeopathic Hospital and approved a license fee of Rs500 for poultry shop. The chair prorogued the session.
Rafique Ahmed, leader of the Al-Khidmat told newsmen that the Niab Nazim had assured us that the issue of UC Fund would be settled before convening the next session of the house.