Sindh Projects Directorate may render local govt reps powerless

Author: By Aslam Shah

KARACHI: The Sindh government has set up a separate ‘Projects Directorate’, which would function under the direct supervision of Sindh Local Government Department.

All departments of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), all district municipal administrations, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) and all development authorities would come under the direct control of this directorate.

The elected mayor of Karachi, deputy mayor and elected public municipal persons would only supervise the ongoing development projects in the city and would have no say in the financial set up and would not take any financial decision on such development projects.

In this way, Sindh government has encroached upon the financial matters and funds of KMC of billions of rupees. The Sindh government has also taken away local income tax department, property tax, transport, excise and taxation departments besides jobs of master plan department and Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA). This would result deadlock in the development works and salaries of the different local government employees, an official claimed on the basis of anonymity.

According to information, Niaz Soomro would be the director of this directorate and he is already serving as director general of KMC Works and Services Department.

This act of Sindh government would cause to suffer the KMC development and non-development expenditures, the entity is already defaulter of more than Rs 2 billion, funding to different departments, medical and other supplies of government-run hospitals, expenditures of zoo and other recreational sites including Safari Park and supply of fuels to government vehicles.

According to KMC, its 58,000 employees and 18,000 pensioners would suffer a lot, as over Rs 2.51 billion are required to cater to their legal dues.

A senior official of the KMC Finance Department said that employees would face difficulty in getting their monthly salaries and other benefits besides they have become handicapped on day-to-day expenses on non-development heads.

He said for the last 15 years, there is no increase in the octroi tax, toll tax and other local taxes.