‘Rs 11m withheld from nazimsÂ’ | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

‘Rs 11m withheld from nazimsÂ’

KARACHI: It is surprising that the city government has not released development funds allocated in the current CDGK budget for union council nazims and councilors, who are directly elected by the people, while town nazims, who are elected by the city nazim, enjoy the power to use millions of rupees allocated for development projects, Al Khidmat opposition leader Rafiq Ahmed observed during a heated city council general session Tuesday. The members of the city council had the discussion over the delay in the release of funds for UC nazims and councilors in the current financial year. The session was adjourned before the house could reach any agreement over the issue. Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil presided over the session. Ahmed said that the CDGK had not issued Rs 9.6 million allocated for UC nazims and Rs 1.5 million for councilors. Ahmed said that it was a humiliation of the people’s mandate that elected representatives could not use the money meant for the development at the grass roots level.

He said that the city government should release the funds so that they could initiate development projects in their respective areas. Juman Darwan of the Awam Doost group said that UC nazims were facing difficult situations due to the delay in the release of funds. He informed the city council that the UC nazims had to face angry residents on a daily basis as the elected representatives were not doing anything to solve their problems. Some of these unattended tasks included the supply of manhole covers, maintenance of water and sewerage lines, the repair of roads. He said that UC nazims would not object to development projects implemented under the supervision of the city nazim as long as the basic civic problems of the citizens were resolved. Earlier, Dr Nighat Shakeel Khan of the Haq Parast group moved a resolution for a research center at the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases (KIHD). The resolution said that the institute was providing the best treatment facilities to heart patients but an advanced research center was the need of the hour.

Additional legislation would be required to establish a research center. An ordinance from the Sindh governor or legislation at the Sindh assembly would be required. The city council approved the resolution and recommended the research center. The members of the city council strongly condemned the police torture of journalists in Lahore through another resolution presented during the session. They said that it was an attack on the freedom of expression. Woddod Mushtaq, a correspondent of a private TV channel, and Nazeer Awan, a cameraman, were seriously injured by the police while they were trying to cover a Sunni Tehrik function held at Minar-e-Pakistan Sunday. The session demanded strict and punitive action against those involved in the incident. The members of the city council also demanded the Punjab government cover the expenses for the treatment of the injured journalist and his cameraman. The resolution was approved by a majority.
Source: Daily Times
Date:9/20/2006