Punjab

TMA Haripur expenditure outweighs income

Tehsil chairman seeks provincial govt’s help to pay outstanding utility bills, salaries

Yawar Hayat November 03, 2022

Arrival of flood-related funds pledged by countries around the world will improve dollar supply in Pakistan and provide critical support to the rupee in coming days. photo: file

HARIPUR:

The expenditure of Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA), Haripur is Rs50 million while its income is only Rs20 million, Haripur tehsil chairman Samiullah Khan said Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference at TMA Haripur, Samiullah said the tehsil admin owned Rs113 million in respect of the electricity bills to the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), which suspended power supply to the tube wells. “We do not have money to pay the salaries to 750 employees and the provincial government is also not paying the salaries,” he said.

Samiullah said every three years the water and electricity bills are increased by the provincial government as per rules. Accordingly, TMO Haripur Fakhrul Islam issued an order on February 28, increasing the water bills by 100 per cent. Hence, the amount of each water bill was increased from Rs150 to Rs300. The water charges which were earlier Rs5 have now been increased to Rs10 per day.

The TMA chairman claimed that the orders issued by Islam as Administrator/TMO were in the best interest of the organisation.

“This increase was made after the provincial government hiked the electricity bills enormously,” he said and added that the TMA Haripur owed Rs113 million in respect of electricity bills and it paid off Rs13 million in the current month. “It still owes Rs100 million.”

Samiullah lamented that the WAPDA was charging commercial rates for tube wells. “Our question is whether the TMA is providing relief to the people or doing business with them. Those who provide basic amenities to the people are being sent commercial bills for tube wells,” he said. He demanded the higher authorities get the domestic bills issued for the tube wells.

Due to differences between the provincial government and the central government, he said, it was becoming increasingly difficult to pay the salaries to the employees. “We have increased bills to generate income. We also increased TMA's property tax after talking to presidents of all markets,” he explained.

The TMA chairman went on to add: “Our expenses in terms of salaries, electricity bills and other payments have increased.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2022.