Karachi: Citizens laud CDGK’s surplus budget

[LahoreEstate]

By Irfan Aligi

KARACHI: The people of the city have lauded City Nazim Mustafa Kamal for presenting the surplus city government budget for the fiscal year 2009-10.

People from every walk of life, particularly students and the working class have welcomed Kamal’s point of view, that the development projects in the city are important because these have opened doors of livelihood for millions of daily wagers and sturdy labourers from all parts of the country.

The employees and officers of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) have also expressed their gratitude to Kamal for developing strategies for the sustainability of CDGK’s stature, pertaining to development, social, education and health sectors.

Talking to Daily Times, Karachi University’s former student who is now working in a private firm as a call centre operator said that downsizing and retrenchments in every industry has wreaked havoc on the lives of the people belonging to the middle class.

We were expecting that the news of retrenchments of CDGK’s funds would cost hundreds of people their jobs but Kamal has not only ensured job security but has also open new gates for contracting the talented youth by establishing new departments such as ‘I Own Karachi’, ‘Karachi Development Trust’ and new health care facilities.

The newly enrolled students of the first internationally acclaimed vocational training college, the Memon Industrial and Technical Institute (MITI), told Daily Times that due to serious financial problems, it was nearly impossible for the CDGK to make MITI functional but Kamal has taken many steps and has announced that similar vocational training colleges would be established in every town.

Intellectual Safdar Ali Khan told Daily Times that the announcement pertaining to the establishment of MITI in all towns is a realistic approach towards eliminating the escalating unemployment, curbing street crimes and converting the idle population into skilled work force. “Kamal has adopted a strategy for making people’s life meaningful. I believe that if the world leaders, with exception to Malaysian Mahatir Muhammad, follow Kamal’s footstep with perfect dedication, they would be able to eliminate poverty, unemployment and above all, extremism and terrorism,” he commented.

A District Officer who chose to remain anonymous told Daily Times that corruption is still prevailing in CDGK but Kamal has curbed it by 70 percent. That is why he was able to offer more funds for the development and social sites.

Muhammad Yaqoob and Qurban Baloch earn bread and butter for their families by driving rickshaws. They asked this scribe to pass their gratitude to thank Kamal for establishing roads, bridges, flyovers and Signal Free Corridors in the city due to which they have been able to save money by the cut in fuel they consume and also their backs as the jolts they receive from driving the rickshaws have been reduced.

Teacher Shakeel told Daily Times that the allocations for Signal free Corridors-III and IV is great news for the citizens of the city. These things look small but the fact remains that due to the establishment of roads and Signal Free Corridors, he is ready to work in any town of the city, which he would not have done in the past due to the long ways and massive traffic jams.

Abdul Wahab, a toffee vendor at Water Pump, told Daily Times that he suffers from high blood pressure, the medicines for which are costly and he was unable to afford them but now he receives free treatment from Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases in Federal B Area. I have read in newspaper that Kamal has announced that two more cardiac hospitals will be inaugurated in the city. If this is true then express my heartfelt gratitude to Kamal. It is pertinent to mention that for the first time in the history of the CDGK, the opposition benches in the City District Council remained calm and attentive during Kamal’s budget speech and the house passed the budget unanimously.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg12_6