Property tax record handed over to Karachi’s local bodies

The Excise, Taxation, and Narcotics Control Department of Sindh has officially handed over its property tax records to the local bodies in all divisions of Karachi.

Senior Minister and Minister for Information, Transport, Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Sharjeel Inam Memon said on Saturday that their efforts to eradicate tax evasion and combat the scourge of drugs would be strengthened.

He added that the government is committed to ensuring that all administrative processes are aligned with the needs of citizens and the law.

Officials said Excise, Taxation, and Narcotics Control Secretary Muhammad Saleem Rajput has issued a notification regarding the transfer of property records.

In the first phase, the Excise, Taxation, and Narcotics Control Department has handed over the property tax records of all divisions of Karachi to the local authorities.

In the second phase, the transfer of property tax records for the nine districts of Hyderabad to the local authorities is currently in progress.

They added that the records of the Mirpurkhas, Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana, and Sukkur divisions will also be handed over to local bodies in a phased manner.

According to the notification, property tax employees will now assist in field activities related to motor vehicle tax inspections and the crackdown on drugs. As part of the reorganisation, 23 divisions have been renamed as regions and towns.

According to the notification, the human resource of these 23 divisions in Karachi will assist the local bodies in property tax matters for three months.

In this regard, Sharjeel Memon stated that the reorganisation will enhance the efficiency of the excise and taxation department, making operations regarding motor vehicles and against narcotics more effective.

He added that the collection of the motor vehicle tax and anti-narcotics patrolling will be intensified very soon, with anti-narcotics operations being accelerated in every corner of Karachi.

Meanwhile, Minister for Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro lambasted the federal government's RBOD (Right Bank Outfall Drain) scheme, terming it a failed project that had destroyed Asia's largest lake, Manchar.

In a letter to Wapda on June 11, 2024, Minister Shoro stated that the RBOD 1 and 3 projects are incomplete and have caused immense damage to the province. He demanded that the project be rebuilt from scratch.

He revealed that the RBOD 2 project, initiated during the Musharraf era, aimed to divert water from the Indus River to the sea through a channel from Sehwan to Thatta. However, the project was destroyed in the 2010 and 2022 floods due to poor planning.

He criticised Wapda's LBOD and RBOD projects, saying they had caused immense damage to Sindh. The flawed planning of these projects has resulted in breaches at various locations, affecting agricultural lands and cities.

The minister emphasized that the Sindh government is undertaking the repair work of these projects, which is Wapda's responsibility.