The Sindh Assembly on Monday adopted 'The Karachi Development Authority (Sindh Amendment) Bill, 2018' into law with a unanimous vote after government accommodated the stance of the Opposition on status of amenity plots in the port city.
The opposition stiffly challenged legislative stand of the treasury as the latter sought abolition of all amenity plots in Karachi by changing their status. But, the opposition asserted its position compelling Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to step in with a middle path to win their support proposing that amenity status of only those lands should be changed which obstruct development of the mass transit projects.
After arguments, opposition nodded the amended bill that says any amenity land that falls in the way of mass transit will be made part of the uplift project on a need-based condition. The bill was adopted unanimously only to facilitate the metro and green-line bus service.
The opposition and treasury agreed to allocate one amenity land in Surjani and another at Numaish Chowrangi to the mass transit project. In line with the legislation, the amenity status of both plots will be changed and both lands will be developed as depot for the metro bus service.
Before proroguing, the house also adopted 'The Sindh Land Tax and Agriculture Income Tax Ordinance 2000 (Amendment), Bill 2018' into law, unanimously. This legislation will help tax all income including agricultural one. The legislators also voted to pass 'the Sindh Development and Maintenance of Infrastructure Cess (Amendment) Bill 2017' into law.
During a question-answer session, Sindh Excise and Taxation Minister, Mukesh Kumar Chawla, told the house that government registered 4223818 motorbikes and 91449 cars in 2014-15. To another query, he said government collected Rs 360 million during 2013-15 on the imported BMW cars.