KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi on Saturday asked the Sindh government to transfer powers to the elected local government representatives to run their respective towns.

Chief of JI Karachi Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq said the elected representatives of towns have no powers despite taking oath. He asked the ruling PPP government to transfer the authority to the elected chairmen.

He alleged that there is “rampant corruption” in the name of a transitional period, saying that the local government budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 was approved by the previous administration, which he rejected.

He demanded of the Sindh government to convene a budget session of the City Council to get the budget approved as per the law and sought a due share for Karachi in the motor vehicle tax collection and the PFC Award.

He alleged that the government has granted a contract of Rs800 million for cleaning drains but nothing has been done in this regard, which may leave the city’s outskirts inundated in expected rainy spells.

He said that the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board has failed to collect garbage from streets. He called the board “illegal, illogical and unconstitutional” demanding that it should be part of the local government setup.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023