Rawalpindi: RCB, CCB fail to announce budget 2009-10

[Naveed Yaseen]

* RCB’s new CEO says for the first time the board has sought
suggestions from residents to set priorities for development work

By Aamir Yasin

RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) and Chaklala Cantonment Boards (CCB) have failed to announce annual budgets for 2009-10 despite passing one month of new financial year.

Sources told Daily Times on Wednesday that RCB and CCB had to submit their annual budget to the Military Lands and Cantonments Director General for approval by June but both the boards failed to do so. They said the boards were likely to announce their annual budgets by mid August.

The shortage of funds is one of the reasons for delay in budget preparation, they said. These civic agencies are facing worst financial crunch, as the Punjab government has failed to release Rs 160 million to RCB as last year’s share of octroi, creating problems for it to complete development projects, they added. They said the provincial government had to also pay Rs 80 million to CCB as its last year octroi share.

They said the provincial government had released only Rs 17 million in July 2008 and did not release RCB and CCB’s monthly share for the past 11 months despite several requests.

Sources said the cantonment boards requested the federal government to provide Rs 100 million additional funds to RCB to bridge the income and expenditures gap. They said the boards’ authorities also approached the Punjab government for development funds through local MNAs and MPAs.

They said the boards’ tax recovery rate was also very low, as the civic agencies provided no incentives to the cantonment residents.

It may be mentioned here that the cantonment boards are working under the federal government and mainly rely on funding from the federal government. The income is generated from various taxes on civilian population and traders, whereas the government and retired army officers are exempted from all taxes.

The sources said Rs 446 million was estimated from property tax, miscellaneous sources and security deposits during fiscal 2008-09, but the RCB collected only Rs 300 million.

New CEO: They said RCB Cantonment Executive Officer (CEO) Sheikh Shahid Bashir had been promoted to Military Lands and Cantonments Deputy Director and Adil Wasi Siddiqui had assumed the charge of new CEO, but he did not rely on the budgetary proposals made by former CEO and directed the officials to prepare new budget.

When contacted, Siddiqui said the budget was delayed, as the RCB had evolved a new strategy for the new fiscal year to improve roads, water supply, sanitation and streetlights.

He said for the first time RCB had sought suggestions from residents to set priorities for the development work. He said they had received suggestions from all the wards and Mohallah committees, local representatives like MNA, MPA, prominent personalities and trader community. He said the budget would be announced soon.

Daily Times could not contact CCB CEO Khurshid Ahmed despite several attempts.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg11_1