‘Sindh govt did not spend Rs8.9 trillion transferred by Centre in 13 years on public welfare’

Reproaching the Sindh government for neglecting the people of Karachi and not resolving their basic problems of water, sanitation and infrastructure development, Haleem Adil Sheikh, leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly, on Wednesday said the federal government had transferred Rs8,900 billion to the Sindh government in 13 years but those funds were not utilised for development and welfare of the people.

Speaking to media persons during a visit to his electoral constituency, PS-99, Sheikh, who is also the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s central vice president, said PS-99 comprised industrial as well as residential localities which contributed billions of rupees to the national exchequer in terms of taxes and duties but the people of the area were deprived of basic facilities.

“Water tankers, not the taps, are the source of water supply in the area like many other localities of Karachi and people of the area, particularly women and children, are seen carrying cans and standing in queues for getting water,” he said.

Reiterating his commitment to ‘unveiling the faces of corrupt elements’, Sheikh said the Sindh chief minister and his team would be held accountable of their negligence and corruption. He added that embezzled amounts would be recovered from the corrupt and spent on the people. Sheikh asked the Sindh government to provide the public with potable water, proper sanitation, roads and other facilities or else people would stage a sit-in outside the CM House and not let the government escape accountability.

He asked PPP supremo Bilawal Bhutto Zardari if he could explain why water was only available through tankers and not in taps. He said the simple answer to the question was corruption in the water board and kickbacks being offered by the tanker mafia. Sheikh said Karachi’s contribution to the total revenue generation of the country was 70 per cent while 90 per cent of the provincial expenses were collected from the metropolis but the PPP’s provincial government spent only 3 percent of the resources on the city.

The federal government wanted development in Sindh like other provinces of the country and provided funds for the purpose but the Sindh government did not spend the same on the people, he said. He added that when the federal government wanted to carry out development schemes on its own, the provincial government refused to issue an NOC.