City Nazim Naimatullah Khan has presented Rs 32641.54 million Karachi city budget 2004-05 before the city council on Saturday, which was subsequently approved by the house with a vote of majority.
Against the total expenditure of Rs 32641.54 million, the revenue target has been set at Rs 32677.91 million, showing a surplus of Rs 36.37 million.
50 percent of the budget has been allocated for the development projects including Rs 6136.03 million for education, Rs 2218.98 for health and Rs 1162.00 million for annual development programme.
Other major expenditures include Malir Development Project (Rs 2911 million), transfer of funds/share to towns & UCs (Rs 2238.30 million), Lyari Development Project (Rs 1219.01 million), 178 UCs (Rs 1254.70 million), pension and welfare of government employees (Rs 383.00 million).
Whereas expenditure on the CDGK group of offices includes Co-ordination Department (Rs 727.63 million), Revenue (Rs 417.20 million), Finance and Planning (Rs 326.60 million), Community Development (Rs 160.35 million), Master Plan and KBCA (Rs 230.13 million), Transport and Communication (Rs 98.12 million), Naib Nazim and Council Secretariat (Rs 98.70 million), Agriculture (Rs 78.17 million), Information Technology (Rs 34.64 million), Mass Transit Cell (Rs 121.03 million), Nazim Secretariat (Rs 15.18 million), Law (Rs 10.40 million), Literacy (Rs 8.97 million), Enterprise and Investment Promotion (Rs 7.49 million) and Water and Sanitation (KWSB) (Rs 6662.18 million).
Estimates of receipts include Rs 5391.00 million grants/release from the government and Rs 2000 million recovery of octori dues from KESC.
The contribution of the CDGK group of offices are Rs 201.01 million from co-ordination, Rs 818.34 million from Finance and Planning, Rs 1.00 million from Law, Rs 6.01 million from Information Technology, Rs 30.00 million from Enterprise and Investment Promotion, Rs 4296.51 million from Revenue, Rs 10.00 million from Community Development, Rs 244.55 million from Health, Rs 45.71 million from Agriculture, Rs 580.02 million from Works & Services, Rs 75.73 million from Transport & Communication, Rs 15.50 million from Mass Transit Cell, Rs 907.65 million from Master Plan and KBCA and Rs 6662.18 million from Water and Sanitation (KWSB).
The income from various development projects of the CDGK are Rs 1244.60 million from receipts of Lyari Development Project, Rs 2982.28 million from receipts of Malir Development Project, and Rs 7165.85 million from devolved department salary and non-salary portion.
Delivering the budget speech, the city Nazim highlighted salient features of the budget and achievements of the CDGK which included raise of UCs' development funds from previous Rs 3.5 million per annum to Rs 6.4 million for each UC; establishment of vigilance team for the elimination of corruption from the CDGK, town administration and UCs; establishment of inquiry committee for the resolution of public problems; award of lease to Katchi abadis according to the previous low rates prescribed in 1989; creation of 18 model parks; introduction of wheeler train in Safari Park; allocation of Rs 150 million for citizen community board; construction of 490 modern bus stops; 30 pedestrian bridges; roads; under-bypass and flyovers; creation of a cardiac hospital; work on Northern Bypass and Lyari Expressway; creation of new colleges; work on mass transit project; rehabilitation schemes of water and sewerage system of the city, etc.
Later, the convener of the house, Naib Nazim Tariq Hasan moved a resolution in the house to seek the approval of the budget which was approved by the house with majority.
Afterwards, the council members of Al-Khidmat and Awam Dost Panels celebrated the approval of the budget and chanted slogans in support of the City Nazim and their respective political leaders.