LG institutions: revenue department to get control of multibillion budgets

The multibillion budgets of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), district councils, defunct Taluka Municipal Administrations (TMAs) and Union Councils (UCs), running under the Local Government Department, would come under the control of the Revenue Department, if financial powers according to recent notifications would be utilised by the concerned commissioners and deputy commissioners, it is learnt on Saturday.
Services and General Administration Department on March 20, had issued two separate notifications which stated that "powers of funds releasing of KMC, district councils, Defunct TMAs and UCs would be transferred to concerned commissioners and deputy commissioners.
Despite passage of more than 10 days, the concerned administrators of district councils and CMOs of defunct TMAs have not transferred their powers to Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners, sources said. If concerned Administrators and CMOs follow the recent notifications, financial powers would be shifted to the Revenue Department and hence Local Government Departments would lose their control over billions of rupees budgets of KMC, District Councils, TMAs and UCs, sources said.
Sources disclosed that Services and General Administration Department had issued these notifications reportedly, on the directives of 'close confidant' of Asif Zardari and Faryal Talpur, without taking Agha Siraj Durrani into confidence. Following this move, Agha Siraj Durrani sent verbal messages to concerned administrators and CMOs for not transferring the powers of funds releasing to commissioners and deputy commissioners, sources added.
Sources further said that the Minister for Local Government has lodged protest with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah but to no avail. Later, Durrani decided to lodge protest with President Asif Zardari against "the man behind the scene," sources added.
Sources inside the local government department told BR that Sindh government had increased Rs 2964.355 million in annual budgets of 18 defunct Towns of Karachi and 101 defunct TMAs of the province.
The provincial government had allocated Rs 26,321.955m in FY2011-12 while, the last fiscal year's revised budget of 18 Towns of Karachi and 101 TMAs was Rs 23,357.600m, they said. According to details, defunct Baldia Town's revised budget was Rs 366.908m, Bin Qasim Town's Rs 568.284m, Gadap Town's Rs 532.740m, Gulberg's Rs 347.064m, Gulshan-e-Iqbal's Rs 551.605m, Jamshed
Town's Rs 509.267M, Kemari's Rs 355.769m, Korangi's Rs 454.916m, Landhi's Rs 535.442m, Liaquatabad's Rs 495.923m, Lyari's Rs 500.229m, Malir's Rs 416.707m, North Nazim-abad's Rs 457.023m, New Karachi's Rs 548.223m, Orangi's Rs 656.133m, Saddar's Rs 465.170m, Shah Faisal's Rs 359.268m and SITE Town's budget was Rs 457.881m. Similarly, the monthly budgets of every defunct TMA is about Rs 15-20 million which comes into the pockets of local MPAs, MNAs, officials of Local Government department and local office bearers of ruling party, sources concluded.