FARID SABRI
Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) was formed back in June this year. Since then, no funding has been arranged by the federal government for the new civic agency of Islamabad.
Due to the absence of its own budget, the elected representatives are facing difficulties in getting the civic issues resolved. And all the vows that the local government representatives made to bring changes in the life of their voters and citizens have failed.
The MCI has been trying to get at least non-development funds of Rs 10 billion for the payment of salaries and meeting other expenditures such as repair and maintenance of water supply lines and machinery to carry out road reconstruction works etc.
In the recent past, the Ministry of Finance had allowed the CDA to provide loans to MCI with the hope that by that time the federal government would release funds to the MCI. Presently, the MCI has been running its affairs through loans from the CDA.
It seems like the ruling party PML-N does not want to empower the local representatives. During the last year, not a single rupee was released for the MCI.
An official of MCI said that mayor should utilise his connections in the government to get funds for the MCI instead of depending on the CDA.
However, the federal government, which held the first ever local government elections in Islamabad on the directives of the Supreme Court, seems not interested in resolving the issues being faced by the denizens of capital.
It is pertinent to mention here that even the chairmen of 50 union councils, vice chairmen and councillors are not getting paid due to the absence of non-development fund. MCI has yet to finalise the regulations of employees, set salary packages, accommodations, vehicles for the elected representatives.
Ali Awan Cheema, a resident of sector G-10 Markaz, said, ‘If the chairmen of union councils themselves are not getting paid or taking benefits then how we can expect any good from them, relief and solution of the ground problems which are being faced by the citizens.
On Tuesday, talking to Pakistan Today, MCI Mayor and CDA Acting Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz said that the non-development budget was lingering on in the Ministry of Finance. After getting the approval from the ministry, it would be tabled for the final approval from the prime minister. He, however, claimed that the fund would be released within a week.
