KARACHI: Sindh government finance department has withdrawn Rs 832 million first quarterly funds under Provincial and District Annual Development Programme to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on the grounds that civic entity has failed in responding queries of the department. However, Secretary Finance has assured that after submitting answers to queries, share would be released. After furnishing answers to queries, the request of the civic entity would be sent to Chief Minister for final approval in order to release money. It was first instance in the history of KMC that share has been withdrawn after releasing orders and in past there had been no such mechanism for submission of queries. The KMC finance department while informing Mayor Waseem Akhtar about this development was of the view that there have been some political motives behind stoppage of share. In recent past, CM while expressing his displeasure over the progress of KMC despite giving civic entity Rs 8 billion under development fund but there had been no visible progression. Reacting on this move of Sindh government, Waseem said that in fiscal 2016-17, KMC was given Rs 14 billion including Rs 4.35 billion on head of development programmes. It has been observed that a tug of war between government and KMC on matter of powers of entity has marred development work in city. The officials of KMC finance department while expressing their apprehensions have said that government was in mood to split KMC’s annual share and give it to six district municipal corporations in order to weaken financial control of KMC. They have lamented that government has also not granted approval to Rs 25 billion new development schemes of the entity. The government has also deprived KMC of Rs 2 billion for construction of two-way roads on Gujjar Nullah and Manzoor Colony Nullah. And this scheme has now been given to Karachi Development Authority for undertaking this job. This scheme was prepared by development project director KMC on Gujjar Nullah but defying rule of business, government has taken such adverse step. In a similar fashion, government unilaterally set up a development mega projects directorate under local government department and took over control of development schemes in the city, officials have described. We did not react on such measures of the government and avoided any conflict between local body and Sindh government, officials of KMC asserted. However government has allocated Rs 5 billion in 2017-18 fiscal year for 440 incomplete development schemes of 2016-17. This amount will be paid into equally split four quarters. Officials of Engineering Department KMC have claimed that entity’s share in Provincial ADP stands around Rs 16 billion. This includes Rs 10 billion for mega development projects, Rs 4 billion for District ADP Projects and Around Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 billion for health, sports and culture schemes. Under our demand, entity has asked Sindh government to allocate Rs 9 billion in financial year 2017-18, they have informed. The chunk of Karachi in the development funds stands 60 percent and the remaining funds are allocated for cities and towns in parts of Sindh. In the last two fiscal years, there has been no increase in outlay of Rs 16 billion in budget while Department has tried to utilise deferred funds for next coming development projects. The development project schemes sent by KMC for Rs 25 billion were not viable and would not be entertained as development funds are allocated keeping in view annual development amount in every fiscal year, an official of mega development project directorate Sindh has said. Published in Daily Times, September 28th 2017.