NFC award: PM urged to provide Karachi, Hyderabad's share directly to local governments

Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar on Thursday urged the Prime Minister Imran Khan to provide National Finance Commission (NFC) Award share of Karachi and Hyderabad directly to the local governments instead of the Sindh Government.
He alleged that the Pakistan People's Party-led (PPP) provincial government did not pass on the due NFC share of Karachi and Hyderabad districts, depriving citizens of their rights such as availability of clean drinking water, sanitation, healthcare, civic infrastructure development etc. Waseem said the 18th constitutional amendment has destroyed Karachi and Hyderabad.
The proposed Rs 45.5 billion Karachi development package announced by Minister of State for Revenue Hamad Azhar is insufficient to resolve the issues of the metropolis. The federation should give priority to Karachi which contributes 70 percent revenue to the national exchequer.
A few days back, Mayor had requested the Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah to call the NFC session and provide the share of districts as per the law.
While inspecting working activities in Gujjar Nullah he said some 40 major drains come in KMC's domain, which are cleaned time and again: however, they get filled again due to non-lifting of garbage across the city. Garbage sprawling parts of the city will cause severe sanitary issues in the next rainy season, if the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) didn't conduct an immediate cleanliness drive in the metropolis.
Storm water drains cannot be cleaned completely till the removal of all garbage across the city by SSWMB. He said the SSWMB must therefore remove all the garbage generated in the city so these drains could be kept cleaned completely.
District Central Chairman Rehan Hashmi, Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Syed Saifur Rehman, KMC officers and elected representatives were also present on this occasion. All major city drains are being cleaned on emergency basis.