City government has so far paid around Rs 4.464 million in futile for providing shuttle service on I I Chundrigar Road to the employees of banks and financial institutions located on the same road, since February 15, 2006, a city government officials told Business Recorder on Friday.
According to the city government officials, currently, city government is paying Rs 3,100 for each shuttle service per day while eight such services are being provided to employees of all financial institutions on I I Chundrigar Road, which cumulatively came to Rs 24,800 per day expenditures.
This huge amount is being paid for providing transportation to the financial employees for whom principally city government is not responsible, they said.
Officials said, under the beautification plan, I I Chundrigar Road had been closed for the public transport since February 15 in order to carry out its reconstruction and beautification work. "This decision came out from the Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan to provide smooth traffic flow to foreign investors and delegations who are regularly visiting the area to their concerned institutions, besides giving a beautiful look to the road and historical sites located on it," they added.
Earlier, the state run and other banks and financial institutions agreed that they would bear all expenditures of shuttle service to be run on I I Chundrigar Road during its reconstruction phases for their employees, they said.
Despite this understanding between the banks and the city government, banks and financial institutions had backed out of the agreement, which had inflicted serious financial problems on Transport and Communication Department of the city government, they maintained.
They said expenses on shuttle service would not stop as yet, and city government would further continue to pay them for indefinite period, as the reconstruction of the I I Chundrigar Road had yet to be undertaken, despite the elapse of around seven months. "It has really got a worst turn for city government to bear unnecessary expenditures for the other's sake, as we have also to concentrate on other civic projects which are purely for general public in the city, they expressed concerns.
Basically, under the Tameer-e-Karachi Programme it was the responsibility of banks and financial institutions to pay for the construction of I I Chundrigar Road, besides all other relevant expenditures to the project, they added.
"If the same situation continued, the city government will have to pay further around Rs 9.052 million only to facilitate employees of the banks, while the construction work on the road seems nowhere in sight for at least more than next 12 months," they estimated.
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