The federal government has cited its opposition to the Sindh government’s proposal to collect taxes on behalf of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) through electricity bills.
In a joint press conference alongside Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi in Karachi, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Saturday said that the federal government would not allow it.
“I have spoken to Energy Minister Hammad Azhar regarding this matter and we will not permit the collection of taxes through power bills,” said the minister, while speaking to the media in Karachi.
On Wednesday, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had unveiled the provincial government’s plan to collect two taxes on behalf of the KMC — fire tax and conservancy tax — from the citizens of Karachi through the monthly K-Electric bill.
Shah had said that Rs100 and Rs200 would be charged respectively from two categories of consumers [to be carved by the provincial administration] in the KE bill.
The chief minister had said that he was working to strengthen Karachi’s local bodies financially so that they could serve citizens from their own resources.
During the presser, the planning minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan would visit Karachi before September 30 and inaugurate the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) infrastructure.
He said the PPP has ruled over Karachi and the province for 13 years, yet the city is not desperate and there are issues with waste disposal as well. Asad maintained that Prime Minister Imran Khan is aware of the problems facing the metropolis.
“The federal government would heal Karachi’s wounds. Work is underway on five major federal projects in the city,” said Asad.
“The Green Line project is a modern transport project. Several of its phases have been completed whereas 80 buses are being bought for it. Some buses will arrive on September 12 while another 40 buses will reach Karachi by next week.”
The minister elaborated that drivers had been recruited and a command and control centre has been set up and the IT infrastructure for the project would be completed soon.
About garbage collection and disposal, the federal minister said around 1.1 million tons of garbage would be removed from the drains of the city.
“Sidewalks, underpasses and overhead bridges are being constructed on these drains,” he said. “About 15ft wide roads will also be constructed along these drains.”
He added that the situation for draining rainwater is now much better and around 90pc of the drains have been cleaned.
“The recent rains have not caused any problems due to the storm drains being cleaned earlier.”
The planning minister said the third project by the federation was of KCR.
“Chief Justice of Pakistan helped us with the circular railway project. The project is from Karachi to Pipri and will cost Rs70 billion. It will cover 43 km, out of which 29kms would be elevated.”
The planning minister further said that the KCR would service 22 stations and the entire project will be run by the private sector. Asad revealed that the premier would visit the port city before September 30 and inaugurate the KCR infrastructure.
Referring to Karachi’s water woes, the minister said the K-4 scheme has been delayed for the last decade, but work on four projects will resume in five months.
“We are trying to complete four projects by August 14, 2023. The Sindh government is responsible for water supply,” he said.
He said that the next general elections in the country will be conducted on the basis of a new census. He added that the previous governments had not given any major plans for Karachi.
Under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme, Rs7 billion was distributed in Karachi and Rs65 billion in Sindh, said Asad and added that Rs21 billion has been allocated for small schemes in the city in the current budget.
“Karachi census has been a long-standing issue,” he said. “Former president Pervez Musharraf did a lot for Karachi but he could not conduct the census. The census was conducted again 19 years later in 2017. We want the facts about the census to come out, involving all stakeholders. The summary will be sent to stakeholders after cabinet approval.”
He added that the census is expected to be completed in early 2023, and constituencies would be demarcated following the conclusion of the exercise.
Asad further said that the Sindh government was not ready to hold local body elections.
