City Council Hall ready to house LG reps

Special grant of Rs20million from the Sindh govt sped up process.

KARACHI: Almost nine months after the local government (LG) elections, renovation work of the City Council hall in old Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) building was completed on Monday.

KMC's financial crunches halted the hall's renovation several times. KMC director-general technical services Niaz Ahmed Soomro had assured that the renovation will be completed by February, 2016. Now, after a special Rs 20 million grant, work on the hall was finally completed.

KMC council director Ghufran Ahmed said the building was inaugurated in 1933 and the council room was from that era. At that time, there were 58 members. When the council room was last renovated around 255 elected representatives were accommodated.

LG minister Jam Khan Shoro termed the renovation as a gift to the elected representatives from the Sindh government.

It will continue to facilitate the representatives, said Shoro. However, if the representatives demand powers of a federal or provincial government, such facilitation will not be possible, he stated.

"The government released a special grant of Rs20 million for this renovation, after which the seating capacity has been enhanced to 320," informed Shoro.

New building

Earlier, the government had promised to construct a new building for the council hall, that was never fulfilled. "KMC has raised the issue of the new building with Shoro and if the number of elected members increases, the new building will become mandatory, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2016.