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Sunday January 05, 2025

HMC budget session adjourned after PTI, PPP members clash

PTI’s Arzoo Faisal Mughal and several other female members left their seats and came to dais near Mayor Kashif Shoro to protest against not being allowed to speak

By Aftab Ahmed
August 01, 2024
This representational image of the session at the Old KMC building in Karachi on June 24, 2024. — PPI
This representational image of the session at the Old KMC building in Karachi on June 24, 2024. — PPI

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) budget session on Wednesday turned unruly after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members started gathering near the dais of the mayor for not allowing the opposition members to speak during the discussion.

The PTI’s Arzoo Faisal Mughal and several other female members left their seats and came to the dais near Mayor Kashif Shoro to protest against not being allowed to speak. They also threw flowers and budget copies in front of him.

The Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) female members approached Arzoo and pushed her away from the dais, following which the environment of the city council worsened.

The PTI’s male members then started approaching the dais, which prompted the PPP’s male members to get up and get involved physically, following which the meeting was ended.

PTI Hyderabad Division President Advocate Faisal Mughal later held a press conference at the Insaf House, along with HMC chairmen, deputy chairmen and members, and said that immoral and illegal behaviour was adopted with the PTI’s members and they were subjected to torture in the budget session.

Mughal said that a female member of the PTI was pushed, and unethical behaviour was adopted with her. “The people have chosen us too, so it is our right to oppose the mayor of Hyderabad.”

He said that on Thursday (today) the PTI would record a peaceful protest in front of the mayor’s office to resolve the situation, otherwise the mayor should resign.

Earlier, the HMC budget of Rs5,657,884,784 was approved by majority votes. The budget meeting of the HMC for the financial year 2024-25 was held at the Mehran Arts Council, Latifabad No. 7, with Mayor Shoro in chair.

Deputy Mayor Sagheer Ahmad Qureshi, Municipal Commissioner Zahoor Ahmed Lakhan and the council members attended in large numbers. The session consisted of a 14-point agenda.

Addressing the meeting, Shoro said that the second budget of the council is being presented. “When I assumed this position, at that time there were liabilities of Rs700 million on the municipality.”

He said that in such a case they had only two options. “Either we clear the previous burden, or we give relief to the people and move this city towards development. We chose the second option.”

He also said that in one year they not only worked on 52 development projects in the city but also achieved the feat for the first time in the history of the municipality of carrying out all these works not with any funds but with the savings of the municipality.

“We have not left any arrears, but have kept Rs690 million plus in the municipality’s account,” he said. He announced a sum of Rs1.857 billion for development works in the budget of the current financial year.

The estimated revenue of the HMC in the financial year 2024-25 is Rs5,657,884,784. The figure of Rs5,657,543,662 was presented in terms of expenditure on employees’ salaries, graduation and pension; street lights; civil defence; disaster management and other issues, including construction and development works. Majority of the members approved the budget.