UCs to receive Rs100,000 monthly for manhole covers, streetlights

JI's Saifuddin calls Murtaza Wahab's fund a 'political gimmick'

KARACHI:

Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab has announced that each Union Committee (UC) in the city will receive Rs100,000 per month specifically for the maintenance of streetlights and the installation or replacement of manhole covers. The initiative, approved for implementation from December, is aimed at improving municipal services and addressing local infrastructure issues.

Under the new local government system, which includes the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), towns, and Union Committees, UCs had previously received Rs 500,000 per month. Several committees had reported that the previous allocation was insufficient for routine maintenance and local projects.

In response, the Sindh Government and the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership approved an increased allocation of Rs 1.2 million per month for each UC. Mayor Wahab said the additional Rs 100,000 per UC is intended exclusively for streetlight upkeep and covering open manholes, despite these responsibilities being shared with the Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation (KWSC).

JI criticises the

announcement

Deputy Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi and Opposition Leader KMC Advocate Saifuddin has criticised the announcement, accusing the mayor of using such announcements for political point-scoring. Saifuddin noted that a similar Rs 100,000 allocation had already been announced in the June council meeting, yet no funds had been released to UCs six months later. He added that installing 50 manhole covers in UCs with populations of 50,000 would not solve the city's systemic issues. Saifuddin said that having been in office as mayor for two years, and previously serving two years as administrator, Wahab should resign for failing to address Karachi's core problems during his four-year tenure.