The opposition members in the City Council subsiding what the convenor said a scheduled agenda to discuss the issue of inflation have demanded the city government of a formal declaration in the media if it had really become bankrupt.
"Declare it formally in the media that the city government had become bankrupt if you really have no money to pay the UC funds," demanded Ibrahim Mughal during the Mondays' 45-minutes long session, which remained preoccupied with the longstanding issue of restoration of Rs 9.6 million union council funds.
"The city nazim has made himself a hero of the city and made us zero... he should ask the people in our UCs not to question us on developmental works if he does not intend to pay us the funds," Mughal lashed out at Arshad Qureshi who was defending the city government on the UC funds issue.
The City Council session, presided over by Naib Nazim Nasrin Jalil, was held in the City Council Hall, Old KMC Building on M.A Jinnah Road amid a mixed, congenial earlier but unpleasant later, environment but a strong wave of argument from the two sides.
The debate on UC funds started when Ismail Brohi from opposition benches asked the convenor about the fate of funds soon after she resumed the session. The climate turned when Nasim Khan from Awam Dost panel started his speech on the funds issue.
Referring to a successful national reconciliation process between Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), supporters of Awam Dost and Haq Parast group respectively, Nasim Khan said restoration of the long pending issue of 9.6 million UC funds was a must for further strengthening their ties. He warned that if remained unresolved anymore the issue of UC funds was likely to endanger the national reconciliation process.
Nasim, whose speech was clearly reflective of the PPP-MQM coalition in Sindh province outside the local government set up, also suggested that the house should form a committee, which would hold talks with the city nazim on the lingering issue. "Earlier we used to have a step-mother like treatment but why now... when we have become the coalition partners," Khan wondered.
Asif Siddiqui rejecting the impression that lack of funds had affected the opposition only, said Khan had raised an old issue in an appropriate way and that was why he was paid due attention.
Linking funds shortage to the provincial government's recent 35 percent reduction in OZT (octroy zilla tax) funds to the city government he said the house through a resolution had already demanded the government to review its decision. On this the firebrand Khan said if the city government had no money how the city nazim had offered his resources to overcome power shortage in the city.
A women member from the opposition Shamim Wasi deplored that the city government was funding the entertainment programs like "Hamara Karachi Festival" instead of establishing stalls of food items in the city to give a helping hand to the inflation-hit citizens.
A strong outcry came from the opposition benches when the naib nazim explained that as per Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001 the UCs were not entitled to get the demanded funds and it was the city nazim who had on his own discretion allocated the money to them.
She went on to say that the UC funds payable for the last three years had lapsed and the city nazim had again intended to allocate the same amount for the UCs in the Budget 2008-09. The convenor also told the opposition members that the city nazim was about to meet them within a couple of weeks.
In response to Wasi point, the convenor clarified that it was the sponsors who were financing the Hamara Karachi Festivals and not the city government. Arshad Quershi from treasury was also on defensive on the UC funds issue saying that the city government was more focused on the mega projects, like improvement of water and sewerage, and had spared no town of the city in term of undertaking developmental projects.
He said this was the time to wind up the issue of UC funds and the opposition should consult those who had cut OZT funds to the city government. He also suggested that the UC nazims could go to the town nazims who had enough funds to pay them.
Mirza Afaq Baig of Haq Parast panel said the city nazim after returning from the US had approved payment of bills amounting to Rs 17 crore for developmental works the city government had carried out in different towns of the city including those of the opposition like Keamari Town, Baldia Town, Site Town etc during 2007-08. On this Imran Baghpati said the projects were carried out only in the Haq Parast dominated towns. Earlier, the house offered "Fateha" for the victims of a suicide attack in Mardan and US bombing in Bajaur Agency.
Declaring the topic of UC funds as "closed" the convenor adjourned the pandemonium-hit session for June 2, 2008 and complained that the session was scheduled to discuss inflation but an unfavourable climate did let it be materialised. The opposition shouting slogans for restoration of UC funds left the house.
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