Lahore District Council (LDC) has on Friday passed Rs 29.05 billion budget of the City District Government Lahore, LDA and its two subsidiaries Wasa and Tepa for the fiscal year 2007-08. City District Government Lahore (CDGL) Nazim Mian Amer Mahmood presented the budget before the District Council with Lahore Naib Nazim Idrees Hanif in the chair.
Delivering the budget speech, Mian Amer Mahmood said that this budget was biggest in the history of the CDGL in terms of its development outlays. He said that 56-percent of the total budget would be utilised for developmental projects, which he claimed to be the highest as compared to other districts in the province. "More funds were allocated for sanitation, sewerage and water supply schemes. The education sector remained the top priority and more funds were allocated for the promotion of education. Sufficient funds were allocated for other sectors, including construction of new roads, repair and maintenance of roads, health, solid waste management, social welfare and agriculture," he added.
The collective budget outlay of the CDGL, LDA, Wasa and Tepa is estimated at Rs 29.5 billion. Total income of the CDGL was estimated at Rs 14.12 billion that also includes opening balance of Rs 1.773 billion. Total expenditures were estimated at Rs 14.1 billion, thus leaving Rs 41 million as surplus amount. The CDGL has received Rs 7.296 billion as its share from the Punjab government under Provincial Finance Commission Award. It has allocated Rs 6.72 billion to carry out different developmental projects while Rs 7.36 billion have been allocated to meet the non-developmental expenditures.
The collective income of LDA, Wasa and Tepa is estimated at Rs 14.93 billion against total expenditures of Rs 12.52 billion, thus leaving Rs 2.41 billion as surplus amount. Income of LDA's UD Wing is estimated at Rs 8.56 billion as against expected expenditures of Rs 5.54 billion, leaving Rs 3.02 billion as surplus amount. LDA would spend Rs 2.4 billion on the development works in LDA Avenue-1 Housing Scheme and Rs 500 million on the construction of LDA Towers at Jail Road. LDA would also construct a community centre in Muslim Town and LDA office buildings in Johar Town and Quaid-i-Azam Town.
Income of Wasa was estimated at Rs 5.13 billion while total expenditures were Rs 5.9 billion, thus budget deficit for it is of Rs 770 million. Total income of Tepa was estimated at Rs 1.24 billion as against expenditures of Rs 1.08 billion, thus leaving Rs 140 million as surplus amount.
During the debate on budget, Municipal Services Committee Chairman Tahir Altaf said that administration of sanitation would be devolved at the union council level to improve lifting and disposal of solid waste.
While the ruling members of the CDGL praised the budget, the opposition members criticised it. Chaudhry Zulifqar, a UC Nazim from opposition, said that the government would levy more taxes to reduce Rs 770 million deficit of Wasa. He said that the CDGL was collecting property tax and sanitation fee and in return no facility had been given to the public. As such the budget should not be passed, he argued.
During the passage of the budget, the opposition created rumpus and chanted slogans against the ruling party. They tore the budget copies and walked out. Outside the hall, the opposition members wearing black armbands burnt copies while chanting slogans against President Pervez Musharraf and CDGL high ups.
Meanwhile, in the post budget press conference, Mian Amer Mahmood said that Rs 770 million budget deficit of Wasa would be met through special grant. He said that water tariff would not be increased and no additional burden would be put on the consumers.
According to him, 70 percent of the liability of Rs 1 billion Wasa arrears lies with different departments. Wasa recovery target has been enhanced by 15-percent while revenue collection would be privatised to improve collection system. The CDGL has timely traced supply of substandard furniture to the CDGL schools and appropriate steps were taken to redress the situation.
To a question, he said that Wasa was taking action on every report of installation of motor on water supply line. "The CDGL has made provision of underground water tank compulsory for the approval of building plan. Wasa would construct overhead water tank in Allama Iqbal Town as part of pilot project and after that the scheme would be extended to other parts of the city," he added.
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