KARACHI, Jun 24 (APP): The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) council approved a budget of Rs. 49,602.138 million for the upcoming fiscal year 2024-25 by majority vote.
Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab presented the budget in the KMC council on Monday for approval. The budget shows a surplus of Rs. 99.707 million.
The total income is estimated at Rs. 49,701.845 million, while the estimated expenditures are Rs. 49,602.138 million. Current Receipts is Rs. 39,718.132 million and Capital Receipts is Rs. 815.213 million, while funds for the District ADP are Rs. 9,168.500 million.
Establishment expenses are estimated at Rs. 27,846.975 million, contingent expenses at Rs. 3,176.048 million, repair and maintenance at Rs. 424.355 million, and development projects/works at Rs. 8,986.260 million.
The estimated expenses for District ADP are Rs. 9,168.500 million.
Deputy Mayor Karachi Salman Abdullah Murad, Municipal Commissioner S.M Afzal Zaidi, and others were also present on the occasion.
While presenting his first budget as Mayor, Barrister Murtaza Wahab emphasized the efforts to provide maximum facilities to citizens at the local level.
Regarding development projects, he mentioned that funds have been allocated under the Federal PSDP Development Scheme 2024-25, with a total cost of Rs. 10,000 million for the Karachi Development Package. Rs. 103.256 million has been allocated for road maintenance and repair, Rs. 1,000 million for the improvement of sports grounds, Rs. 111.62 million for the beautification of parks, and Rs. 8,785.118 million for the repair and beautification of bridges, flyovers, and underpasses.
Under the Annual Provincial Development Program Scheme, Phase I of the Mewa Shah Cemetery and its surroundings has been completed at a cost of Rs. 200.920 million, with work on Phase II to be completed in this fiscal year.
The Shaheed-e-Millat Expressway KPT Flyover to Manzoor Colony Phase I Scheme has been completed at a cost of
Rs. 516.000 million, with work on Phase II ongoing and expected to be completed within this fiscal year. Additionally, 125 schemes worth Rs. 6,500 million are under construction.
For 2024-25, 162 new schemes under the Provincial ADP are proposed at an estimated cost of Rs. 5,788.100 million. More than 150 roads, flyovers, bridges, sidewalks, service roads, pedestrian bridges, and entry and exit streets have been constructed and renovated under the CLICK project at a cost of Rs. 2,825 million. Proposed schemes under the CLICK project for 2024-25 amount to Rs. 6,476.400 million.
These include the installation of solar-powered LED street lights on three major roads with five years of maintenance, the renovation of Shadab Football Ground Block 11 Federal B Area, the renovation of Baldia Stadium in Baldia Town, the construction of IT Park and Center in Shadman Town, the construction of Memon Goth Road in Malir, the road behind Malir Court to Murtaza Chowk, the construction of a football and cricket ground in UC 3 Mauripur Keamari, and the construction of a community center in UC 7 Murad Memon Goth.
In the Annual Development Program District ADP 2023-24, 542 ongoing schemes required Rs. 2,687 million, but only
Rs. 1,232 million were released, resulting in a shortfall of Rs. 1,455 million. The KMC completed 64 development schemes of roads, bridges, flyovers, and buildings in various districts. No new schemes were included in the budget for 2023-24, and Rs. 1.2 billion provided by the Sindh government will be available this fiscal year, to be spent on development works across the city fairly after council approval.
For 2024-25, efforts will be made to complete 480 ongoing schemes requiring Rs. 5,852 million.
The Mayor Karachi highlighted Karachi’s water shortage issue, addressing it through the construction of a new canal from Hub Dam and repairing the old canal, establishing an infrastructure to provide 200 million gallons daily from Hub to Karachi.
Children’s wards, gynecology wards, and emergency wards have been established in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, dental units in Sarfraz Rafiqui Shaheed Hospital and Spencer Eye Hospital, while Karachi Institute of Kidney Diseases has been expanded with a new floor and new medical equipment.
Spencer Eye Hospital, which had been closed, has been reactivated for eye treatments, and Gizri Maternity Home has been reopened with a dental unit and a nursery for newborns.
Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases now has a nursing school with 270 students, 130 of whom receive free education. Abbasi Shaheed Hospital’s nursing school will also be activated. The establishment of a blue ward in KIHD has improved emergency medical services. Transforming Karachi Medical and Dental College into Metropolitan University was a long-standing dream realized with support from the People’s Party’s Sindh government.
A project to reintroduce 25 green buses in Karachi at a cost of Rs. 250 million is underway, with a prototype bus already prepared. Significant expenditures on street light infrastructure and maintenance will shift to solar power on three major roads.
The Sindh government increased the UC grant from Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 1,200,000 to empower UC chairmen for better local government administration, which will also improve revenue. To meet environmental demands, large-scale tree planting and urban forest creation are planned at Gutter Baghicha and Lyari River similar to Kidney Hill. Efforts continue to construct a city council hall in Bagh-e-Karachi, using only one percent of its area, and to restore and greenify small and large parks.
The issue of Municipal Utility Charges, which had been under court consideration for years, has been resolved in KMC’s favor, potentially generating Rs. 4 billion in revenue for the city. KMC’s tax system is being modernized, and the public-private partnership model will be used to maximize asset utilization, crucial for establishing a sustainable infrastructure.
KMC has focused on improving departmental performance, and for the next fiscal year, Rs. 10,802.280 million is allocated for pension funds, other miscellaneous expenses, and bailout packages, Rs. 6,948.408 million for medical and health services, Rs. 4,930.843 million for municipal services, Rs. 2,545.178 million for the engineering department, Rs. 1,900.036 million for revenue departments including land enforcement, estate, Katchi Abadi, PD Orangi, and charged parking. Rs. 1,598.879 million for parks horticulture, Rs. 1,321.852 million for cultural sports and recreation, Rs. 993.933 million for finance and accounts (MUCT), Rs. 235.793 million for the law department, Rs. 6,476.400 million from CLIP (World Bank Funded Project), Rs. 124.714 million for enterprise and investment promotion, Rs. 98.091 million for information technology, Rs. 56.260 million for terminals/transport and communication, and Rs. 9,168.500 million for District ADP.
For the 2024-25 budget, expected revenue estimates include Rs. 25,054.245 million from government grants including OZT share, Rs. 1,850 million from K-Electric’s dues to KMC, and Rs. 9,168.500 million from District ADP. Revenue recovery from various departments, with the most significant from the land department at Rs. 1,026 million.