Defaulter: KMC ‘partially seals’ Sui Southern Gas Company building

Issues notices to SSGC, asking it to clear their outstanding dues

KARACHI: The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) office near Civic Centre was partially sealed by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on Monday, after the company failed to clear its municipal dues despite having been given a deadline.

In a bid to recover payments from its defaulter, the cash-starved KMC had written a letter to the SSGC on August 29 to clear their dues in seven days. However, as the SSGC ignored the notice, their office building was partially sealed by the KMC.

According to the letter written by the KMC, a copy of which is also available with The Express Tribune, the KMC had introduced the Municipal Utility Charges and Tax (MUCT), in January, 2009, by replacing fire tax and conservancy charges for the maintenance and development of the civic services. The letter, which was addressed to the SSGC by the KMC's litigation and recovery department, said that the bills of the MUCT have been issued to them from January, 2009, to date, but the SSGC have defaulted over payment of amount that had now accumulated to Rs151,574,305.



The MUCT department, according to the letter, has been publishing advertisements in leading newspapers to inform the citizens of Karachi and their defaulters to pay the municipal taxes but the SSGC failed to do so. "In order to avoid any untoward situation and legal proceeding, you are finally requested to clear your outstanding dues," said the letter to the SSGC.

However, speaking to The Express Tribune, MUCT senior director Raza Rizvi denied sealing the SSGC building. He said that they have been providing the SSGC parking services on the road, for which barriers were placed near their office building. "We simply moved those barriers in front of the SSGC building clearing the road and ending our parking service to them," he said, adding that whosoever will be their defaulter, they will stop providing their municipal services to them.

Rizvi added that the SSGC have yet to pay the outstanding bills to the KMC. Since they are unable to clear the KMC's bills, Rizvi said that now the SSGC will not be given the garbage service by the KMC.

"They will have to keep their garbage within their building," he said, adding that when someone throws their garbage in the KMC's garbage transfer stations, the KMC transports that garbage to the landfill sites, which requires fuel and vehicles.

According to Rizvi, a team of the SSGC officials had a meeting with the KMC finance department on Tuesday and assured them that if they are KMC's defaulters they will release them their amount.

Rizvi added that if the SSGC failed to do so, then the KMC will adopt all the legal ways.

Meanwhile, the SSGC spokesperson told The Express Tribune that during the meeting held between the two organisations on Tuesday, it was decided that the KMC will provide the details to the SSGC regarding the payments they have to make. The spokesperson added that the SSGC will then present those details to their legal service department and a meeting will be held between the two organisations again.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2016.