Around two dozen cases are registered against Akhtar at various police stations of the city. PHOTO: PPI
They have warned of besieging the mayor's office if the funds were not released in their constituencies. "Around Rs13 billion was allocated for development schemes in the last budget but not a single penny has been given to 105 opposition members," Junaid Makati, the parliamentary leader of Jamaat-e-Islami in the City Council, told The Express Tribune.
Makati has won the local government election from union council-10 (UC) Dhoraji and has submitted more than 10 development schemes pertaining to cleanliness of drains, construction of streets and pavements. However, he claims that not a single penny has been released to him.
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"KMC not only generates money from its own sources but also gets funds from the Sindh government. However, we do not see any development in the city on the part of KMC," he said, adding that some of the funds are spent in Muttahida Qaumi Movement - Pakistan (MQM) areas but most of the funds are misappropriated. "One can see the development work on Sharae Faisal, Tariq Road and University Road and the underpasses being built in Karachi by the Sindh government, while the mayor has nothing to show," Makati said.
In the KMC council, which comprises 307 members, MQM - Pakistan has more than 200 members. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has 42 members, Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) 27, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) 14, Jamaat-e-Islami 10, Awami National Party (ANP) two and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) has three members, while the rest are independent groups.
PTI's Sajjad Ali, who has been elected as chairman of UC-44 Bhutta Village Keamari, was of the view that not a single block or brick has been laid down in his constituency. "In this area, our party has won three UCs but the mayor does not bother to support us by releasing funds," he claimed, adding that he, along with other colleagues from his party, has given various schemes but all in vain.
"We are thinking of besieging the mayor's office. In this connection a meeting of the joint opposition parties will be convened soon to decide the date," he said, adding that the KMC has increased the rate of different taxes it collects from the city but it does not utilise the development funds. "The Sindh government releases Rs0.2 million to each UC, which is only spent on salaries of employees. We receive meager amount from birth and death certificates, which is not sufficient to initiate development in the area," he added.
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PPP's Karamullah Waqasi said the Sindh government releases the funds on time but it is the mayor's incompetency to initiate schemes that is the problem. "Every other day the MQM-Pakistan members make hue and cry in Sindh Assembly for development funds, but its own mayor is victimising opponents by not initiating any development work in their areas," he said. "People have given votes to the opposition members who equally deserve funds, but the mayor is unwilling to do it," he said.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, mayor blamed the PPP government for not giving powers to him and said, "PPP members should ask their government for powers rather than criticising me". He added that last year he had no authority to release development funds, which were spent with the consent of the Sindh government's appointed administrators and this year (2017-18) he will fairly distribute the development funds among treasury and opposition members of the council.
The mayor said that KMC has no authority over the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, Sindh Solid Waste Management Board or Karachi Development Authority and, despite having limited resources, the funds would be given to all opposition members soon.
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