HMC to elect supervisory committee members today

Committees will monitor budget utilisation, performance

HYDERABAD: The supervision of the administrative wings of the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) by elected local government representatives, although belated by over a year, is set to start soon. Today (Friday), the LG representatives of the HMC will elect members of 43 committees which will oversee affairs of as many departments of the corporation, according to the schedule issued by Municipal Commissioner Shahid Ali Khan. The voting process will last for eight hours, from 9am to 5pm.

Each committee will consist of seven members who, after their election, will elect chairpersons of their respective committees. Some of the important departments include finance, works, planning, building control, land management, katchi abadi, anti-encroachment, roads and traffic management, among others.

The members of each committee will have overriding powers over the officials and staff and will also monitor performance and budget utilisation of HMC’s sub-departments.



The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) - Pakistan is the ruling party in the HMC, while Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) LG representatives sit on the opposition benches. The PPP threatened a boycott of the elections but withdrew later after negotiations with MQM-Pakistan. Official sources in the HMC revealed that the PPP will be given chairpersonship of eight committees.

The house consists of 147 members including 96 chairmen of union committees who were elected in the October, 2015 LG elections and 47 members selected on reserved seats. Among the latter, 32 represent women and five each the youth, labourers and minorities. MQM-Pakistan leaders claim that over 100 members in the house will support their candidates in the committee elections.