Rs7.3 billion allocated for 11 ongoing uplift projects in Karachi

As vociferous protest by the opposition marred the provincial assembly’s session on Thursday, the Sindh government presented its budget for the financial year 2018-19 with a total outlay of Rs1.14 trillion, including the allocation of more than Rs7 billion for Karachi’s ongoing mega development projects.

As per the policy of the Sindh government, no sum has been reserved for any new development project in the provincial capital as the government’s term expires well before the commencement of new financial year.

Delivering his budget speech in the Sindh Assembly, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah outlined the allocation of Rs7.3 billion for 11 ongoing mega development projects in the city.

The breakdown

CM Shah said that out of the 14 schemes identified earlier under “Mega Schemes of Karachi”, 11 have been approved and are under way; the Rs7.3 billion allocation has been set aside for them in the budget. They include a road from Tank Chowrangi to Super Highway via Thado Nalla, the reconstruction of Tipu Sultan Road from Shahra-e-Faisal to Karsaz, the construction of a bridge at Tipu Sultan and Khalid Bin Waleed intersection, the reconstruction of Stadium Road, the remodelling of 12000 Road (Landhi – Korangi), the improvement of roads around Cantt Railway Station, the improvement of the road from Fuwara Chowk to Garden via Abdullah Haroon Road and back to Fuwara Chowk via Zaibunissa Road, a bridge over the Korangi Nullah, a bridge at intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Gizri Boulevard, a storm water drain from Hassan Square to Lyari River and a 24-inch diameter water supply pipe line from Habib Bank to Pump No. 3 for the improvement of water supply in Baldia Town.

Moreover, a sum of Rs4.2 billion has been reserved for FY 2018-19 for the ongoing Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme or K-IV project which aims to add a total of 650 million gallons a day to Karachi’s existing water supply and Rs3 billion have been allocated for the ongoing Greater Karachi Sewerage Plan (S-III) – the two projects that are being co-funded by the federal and provincial governments.

He further said that Rs1.3 billion has been reserved for reconstruction/rehabilitation of roads from Jam Sadiq Bridge to Dawood Chowrangi, while Rs1.3 billion has been reserved to construct and remodel Landhi and Korangi Roads.

Opposition protests

As CM Shah delivered his budget speech, the opposition parties banded together and resorted to vociferous protest, which severely marred the house proceedings. On several occasions, it became quite difficult for the CM to continue his speech without being disrupted. Opposition lawmakers rose from their seats and gathered near the rostrum of Speaker Agha Siraj Khan Durrani as they tore up copies of the budget document, hurled its pieces into the air, and loudly shouted slogans against the government.

One such chant that reverberated repeatedly during the budget speech took a dig at Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is considered a political novice by the opposition parties, and his aunt, Faryal Talpur, the sister of PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari as “thieves”.

Another slogan alluded to the National Accountability Bureau’s action against alleged corrupt practices by the ruling party’s leaders and the Sindh government.

Although the CM tried to ignore the chanting and continue with his budget presentation, the opposition’s protest gathered momentum with time and compelled the CM to interrupt his budget speech on many occasions to retort to their fierce criticism and sloganeering.

“We will once again come to power and present the provincial budget again,” Shah responded on one occasion. “It seems that those making noise here will continue to make noise in future as well as their fate is sealed.”

More than once, he stopped to chastise the opposition lawmakers for their actions. “If someone talks against our leadership during the budget speech, then we would not be responsible for whatever happens here in response,” he said.

“You ditched your leadership but we are proud of our leadership,” Shah said, referring to lawmakers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan who have distanced themselves from party founder Altaf Hussain and formed a splinter group – the MQM-P.

However, his responses were no match for the unified opposition and he was eventually compelled to wind up his speech in the midst of the loud protesting lawmakers.

Speaker Durrani later adjourned the budget session till Monday, May 14.

‘Budget rejected’

Speaking to the media later in the day, opposition lawmakers said that they had rejected the newly-announced budget for the upcoming year 2018-19.

Leader of Opposition Khawaja Izharul Hassan, who belongs to MQM, said that that CM was used to delivering a controversial budget speech every year at the beginning of the fiscal year.

He added that Shah had been compelled to shorten his budget speech and to leave the house hurriedly.

Hassan claimed PPP would not get the opportunity to come to power again and putting aside all the issues of the province’s districts, the CM should provide answers for the problems being faced by people in his hometown Sehwan Sharif where residents didn’t have the facility of potable water.

Faisal Ali Sabzwari, another MQM MPA, said that the Sindh government didn’t convene the meeting of the provincial finance commission in the previous years to devolve financial powers to the local government bodies in the province.

He said that half of the ministers of the cabinet had been facing cases lodged by the NAB. The public exchequer is being plundered by the rulers in the province belonging to the PPP, he said.