KARACHI: Treasury and opposition denounced the K-Electric for prolonged power cuts and “sucking the public blood” with series of taxes as the Sindh Assembly debated the budget 2024-25 for the fourth session on Monday.
Syeda Marvi Faseeh of the PPP rattled the house with a stark criticism at Hesco, Sepco and K-Electric for a prolonged electricity load shedding across Sindh.
“These departments have agonized the public life,” she added.
She said the power crisis is getting “extreme” in the province, seeking the Sindh government to take control of the all electricity distribution companies.
Bilal Hussain Khan Jadoon - a PTI-backed legislator also lashed out at the K-Electric for excessive taxation in electricity bills and long-hours load shedding. “Despite load shedding, the K-Electric is sucking the public blood,” he added. He also questioned the series of taxes in the bills, saying that “what do forward tax, extra tax, advance tax mean”.
He asked that why does the government tax the public heavily whereas giving perks to the ministers. He proposed the government to tax the ministers, instead.
Naeem Ahmed Kharal of the PPP criticized his government as not being able to fetch his wheat crop at Rs4000 a mound as per the official support price.
He said that as an MPA, he found it difficult to sell wheat at the official rate, seeing the common growers facing even greater challenges.
“No one is ready to buy wheat even at Rs2500 a mound,” he told the house, saying that the government’s teachers appointed for the Khairpur schools have got them transferred to the cities.
He said that Khairpur still awaits an announcement for the peoples bus service.
MQM’s Syed Muhammad Usman said that the “reign of terror” is ruling the province, adding that the budget proposes Rs600 billion in tax collection from Karachi but envisages no funds to develop the metropolis.
He said that the government’s spending of Rs2000 billion for education could not help enroll 7.5 million out of school kids.
Sardar Khan Chandio of the PPP said that Qambar High School lacks drinking water facility for students, asking the government to review its plans for the union councils skirting the border areas.
He requested for an improvement of the schools infrastructure in the flood affected areas, saying that “kids cannot sit”.
PPP’s Imtiaz Sheikh felicitated the government for a balanced budget for the next fiscal year, calling it “pleasant” under the prevailing economic conditions in the country.
Fayaz Ali Butt of the PPP said that his party’s government is completing the old uplift schemes and will propose new ones as well.
Syed Adil Askari of the MQM refused to dub the fiscal budget as “poor friendly”, urging the treasury to bury “ the politics of hate” to move forward.
He said that the urban and rural units will have to work together for Sindh growth. He said that Karachi is grappled with water crisis despite feeding the entire country.
MQM’s Aneel Kumar called fiscal budget “enemy of the poor” and “friend of the rich”, saying that 300 people commit suicide annually in Tharparkar with one doctor each serving 2000 patients and 277 government’s schools are shutdown. The entire district suffers from water shortage, he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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