Dull session sees little talk on budget

In a dull session of Sindh Assembly, the opposition and treasury members talked more on politics rather than the Rs2.2 trillion provincial budget presented four days ago in the house.

The thin attendance marred the house comprising 168 MPAs. Hardly 16 lawmakers were present when speaker Agha Siraj Drurrani started the proceedings and 38 were in attendance when he adjourned the session till today (Thursday).

PTI MPAs have been absent since the May 9 incident that took place in the aftermath of Imran Khan's arrest. On the second day of the debate around 16 members belonging to treasury and opposition were given a chance to speak on the budget, but most of them played political gimmicks, lodged complaints for not giving them pie in the budget for development work in their constituencies.

As the sessions started, Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) MPA Naseem Rajpar demanded of the Sindh government to start the people bus service in her district Naushero Feroz.

"We appreciate the provincial government's efforts of launching the bus service in Karachi, but it must be replicated in other districts of Sindh with separate transport facilities for women," she said.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Ghulam Jilani who belongs to Korangi area, however tendered apology to his voters for not living up to the expectation of his voters and said his constituency and entire Korangi district had been facing acute water scarcity, adding that he had raised the issue at every concerned forum but to no avail.

"There are 13 illegal connections in Korangi and water meant for public consumption was being supplied to cattle pens and for agriculture," Jilani said adding that he raised severe questions on the drain cleanliness drive ahead of the monsoon season and that not a single storm water drain in Korangi district had been cleaned properly.

"Korangi will submerge, if God forbids there is heavy rain due to Biparjoy Cyclone," he said and continued that the voters have elected him with a hope that he would resolve their issues but it was not possible because the incumbent government refused to incorporate opposition MPAs schemes in the budget.

PPP lawmakers however praised the budget and started the speech by praising Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Asif Ali Zardari, MPA Faryal for giving a friendly budget. Shazia Karim Singhar who hails from Lyari said that Karachi, particularly Lyari, had been facing the worst load-shedding of electricity and gas and the people were facing severe hardships.

"Citizens have been demanding that K-Electric's distribution license should not be extended," she added while asking the chief minister to consider the demand. She said that it was time to make the K-E mend its ways.

Tariq Ali Talpur of Pakistan Peoples Party said that the biggest issue of his constituency was water and its drainage as Jhuddo was situated at the tail-end.

He said that the area people and agriculturists had been facing severe hardships as a natural drainage that used to take storm water away had been closed after construction of left bank outfall drain (LBOD).

The PPP MPA said a 30-bed hospital in his constituency was not enough to cater a large number of population, demanding that the number of beds should be increased along with other facilities.

Talpur demanded of his own provincial government to establish English medium school, medical and engineering colleges as well as a varsity in the Mirpurkhas division. He also demanded electric busses of the Peoples Bus Service in the division.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2023.