KARACHI: Excluding salaries, the Sindh government has seized all funds of City District Government of Karachi (CDGK) and District Governments and Taulka Municipal Administrations (TMAs), sources told Business Recorder. After promulgation of the ordinance regarding revival of local government system 1979 and abolishment of Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO) 2001, CDGK and all district government and TMAs including towns of Karachi have been abolished.
On the directives of Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, the Finance department has issued a letter to concerned officials of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to seize all funds of District governments and Taulka Municipal Administrations (TMAs) including CDGK.
The letter also said that the funds allocated for salaries of employees of said institutions would not be seized and to be issued as per routine, sources said. In the budget for 2011-12, Sindh government had increased Rs 2964.355 million of 18 Towns of Karachi and 101 TMAs of province.
The Provincial government had allocated Rs 26,321.955 million in FY2011-12 while the last fiscal year's revised budget of Towns of Karachi and TMAs was Rs 23, 357.600 million, sources added. Besides, Rs 20 billion had also been allocated in Annual Development Program (ADP) 2011-12 for all districts under the District Development Program (DDP), sources said.
There are 18 towns of Karachi including Baldia, Bin Qasim, Gadap Town, Goldberg, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Jamshed, Kemari, Korangi, Landhi, Liaqatabad, Layari, Malir, North Nazimabad, New Karachi, Orangi, Saddar, Faisal and SITE, while there are 101 Talukas in other 23 districts. It is also pertinent to point out here that with revival of old status of Hyderabad district, three more districts--Matiari, Tando Mohammad Khan and Tandoallahyar--have been abolished.
These three districts were parts of Hyderabad district which had been separated in era of Pervez Musharraf. According to Finance department officials, all seized funds would be surrendered in provincial exchequer. They said that after proper establishment of district councils (DCs) and town committees (TCs), seized funds would be re-allocated.
Before promulgation of Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO) 2011, the budgets of district councils and town committees were very short, financial crisis in these institutions was routine issue. But, after the SLGO 2011, the funds were allocated to all district governments and TMAs with record increase. "So let's see what the provincial government would further decide in this regard," they added.