Karachi:
The debate prior to the budget at the Sindh Assembly concluded on Friday. The parliamentarians who belong to several parties, as well as ministers, cabinet members and opposition leaders gave their suggestions for the budget of the next financial year with a special approach to the problems facing the province.
Opposition leader, Ali Khursheedi, said the budget must be made in consultation with the members. He expressed concern about the water supply to Karachi and said that Sindh Water almost ends when he arrives in the Metropolitan City.
Government members should realize that water is an important problem of Karachi as well as the rest of the Sindh. “People tend to forget Karachi when they speak against the Canals project on the Indo River, aren’t we part of Sindh?” said.
He pointed out that the government did not include new schemes in the budget last year, while the funds were not spent on existing schemes. The expense in the schemes of Kashmore, Tharparkar, Khairpur, Shaheed Benazirabad and Hyderabad remained zero since the funds were not released.
Khursheedi said the prime minister had assured that the schemes would be completed, but this did not happen. Government members are defenseless, while MQM members are being withdrawn from their positions by the political mayor after the local body elections.
He said that transparency must be maintained in the budget for water supply schemes and that the public should be said where the funds were spent.
Criticizing the PPP, he said that only 400 buses were taken through Sindh against the need for 15,000.
Muhammad Shabbir Qureshi of PTI said that its constituency is the highest revenue generator, but it has still been deprived of all basic facilities. Wastewater enters houses and mosques and the whole area is blocked during the rains, he lamented.
Jamaat-E-Islami member Muhammad Farooq said the health sector must be exempt from the tax. Instead, the great leaders must be brought to the fiscal network. FBR tyranny should end.
He also demanded a development package of RS500 billion for Karachi and emphasized the early completion of all incomplete projects in the city.
