CM okays Rs1.37b for fixing SITE roads

Agrees to transfer collection of area's property tax to SITE Ltd to boost recovery, development

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved funds of Rs1.37 billion for the reconstruction of dilapidated roads in SITE, Karachi, while also deciding to transfer the collection of property tax to SITE Ltd.

These decisions were made in a meeting with a SITE Association delegation, led by Qasim Siraj Teli, at the CM House.

The industrialists told the CM that the condition of roads in SITE, already terrible to begin with, had further worsened after recent heavy rains in the city. They claimed that the roads were no longer passable, making the transportation of finished goods difficult.

They further pointed out that SITE Ltd was in a precarious financial state due to overstaffing. Seconding this, Sindh Industries and Commerce Minister Jam Ikramullah Dharejo said that SITE Ltd had been overburdened with 1,500 employees against a requirement of 450, leading to locally-generated funds being spent on salaries and pension.

Adding that the Sindh Small Industries Corporation was in a similar predicament, the minister claimed extraordinary recruitments had been made during the tenure of former president Pervez Musharraf.

The delegation also asked the CM to assign the recovery of SITE's property tax to SITE Ltd, allowing the funds to be utilised on the area's development

Responding to the association's requests, the CM said his government would reconstruct all roads under the Karachi mega-project. He approved an amount of Rs1.37 billion for the reconstruction of roads in SITE and directed the Sindh Industries and Commerce Department to prepare the PC-I for the project and submit it for approval.

Moreover, he directed local government minister Nasir Hussain Shah to assign the reconstruction to the Karachi mega-project team, while adding that a committee of industrialists, recommended by the SITE Association, would monitor the work.

"Not only will road construction be undertaken, a drainage system should also be developed alongside the roads to allow for the disposal of rainwater," he stated.

The CM also agreed in principle to hand over the collection of property tax to SITE Ltd, directing his adviser on law Murtaza Wahab to work out a legal plan to transfer the property tax recovery from the excise and taxation department to SITE Ltd.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2020.