Daily Times

Sindh Minister for Local Government (LG) and Information Syed Nasir Shah on Thursday said that the provincial government is taking concrete measures to strengthen local bodies in the city.

“The provincial government alone in the month of July 2021 has provided Rs2275.879 million to nine local bodies of Karachi including KMC, District Council and DMCs so that they could continue their services in the city, ” said a statement here.

LG Minister Nasir Shah said that Rs1074.714 million were provided to KMC which included Rs474.714 million OZT share and Rs600 million grant. He said that Rs170.058 million to DMC South included Rs90.058 million OZT share and Rs180 million grant.

The Minister said that DMC Central has been given Rs246.279 million, West Rs113.338 million, Kiamari Rs148.770 million, East Rs92.709 million, Korangi Rs174.068 million and Malir Rs118.087 million.

He further said that the District Council Karachi has been given Rs137.966 million, including Rs87.966 million OZT share and Rs50 million as a grant.

Nasir Shah said that the former City Nazim Mustafa Kamal has been blaming the provincial government for not giving funds to local bodies of Karachi. “I am surprised that Mustafa Kamal, instead of conducting an audit of his personal performance as the city nazim, is playing politics of hatred being advanced by MQM.

“I know that they [MQM and Mustafa Kamal] are struggling for their political survival but it does not mean that they keep misleading the people of this city,” he said adding that the people of Karachi after witnessing the MQM politics in which Mustafa Kamal was active character, in the killing of innocent people, torching factories and lawyers and destroying educational and cultural institutions-rejected them.

Nasir Shah said that Mustaf Kamal destroyed local bodies during his tenure by ruling as a Viceroy. He made political recruitments in thousands in KMC, Water Board and KBCA, as result, the increasing payroll crumbled these institutions financially.

“The Sindh government not only administered a financial injection to the local bodies to strengthen them but also decided not to lay off any worker,” he said. The Local government Minister said that the local bodies in Karachi, particularly the KMC and water board were self-sufficient and financially sound institutions. “It was Mustafa Kamal who made them bankrupt and now he is giving lectures as if he had done a great job,” he said.

According to Nasir Shah the local bodies of the city have yet to recover from the financial pressures of over employment caused by so-called champion of local bodies of the city, Mustafa Kamal.

“It was Mustafa Kamal’s tenure when storm water drains, amenity plots, treatment plot and water board lands, parks and public places were allotted illegally and now the Sindh government was not only removing the encroachments but rehabilitating the affected people,” he said.

Syed Nasir Shah said that MQM and Mustafa Kamal were old blocks of the same chip. “MQM with the intention of making political coming back has started talking about carving out a new province from Sindh and Mustafa Kamal is trying to become hero by leveling baseless allegations against the Sindh government of PPP,” he said and added “people of Karachi know you very well and they would further send you in the oblivion in the next local bodies and general elections. Nasir Shah said that Mustafa Kamal has gone berserk after losing yet another election at NA-249. He needs mental therapy to recover from the shock of continuously losing the election.