KARACHI - The municipal workers of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and District Municipal Corporations (DMC) have announced staging protest on Monday (today) against the Federal Board of Revenue, Sindh government and the administrators of the municipal departments over non-payment of salaries.

This was announced by the president of Municipal Workers Trade Unions Alliance, Syed Zulfiqar Shah during a press conference at the KMC workshop.

He said the municipal workers of all the municipal departments would stage protest outside the Karachi Press Club against the Federal Board of Revenue, Sindh Finance Department and the administrators of Municipal Organisations over non-payment of salaries and freezing of bank accounts.

He said due to non-payment of salaries, municipal workers were facing financial problems and the union leaders were trying to control anger of the workers but now it is crossing limits. “If the authorities concerned will not sort out the issues of municipal workers including salaries of the municipal workers and restoration of all freeze accounts within 48 hours then government will be responsible for any untoward situation,” he warned.

Shah further said the FBR had lodged an FIR against the municipal workers over dumping of garbage and dead animals outside its office located in Gulistan-e-Jauhar. He condemned the FBR action and demanded them to withdraw the FIR on immediate basis.

He said the FBR had imposed seven percent tax on accounts transactions of the DMCs without contacting the high ups of the municipal authorities and termed that it is an unjustified act. “Freezing of the DMC accounts by the FBR has affected the payment of salaries which eventually affected the relief work in the city,” he added. He said the FBR had already collected Rs810 million in terms of Withholding Tax from the DMC accounts but still they are not made operational.

Zulfiqar Shah threatened that if the authorities concerned will not fulfill their demands within 48 hours then the municipal workers will stop the cleanliness work across the city and stage sit-in outside the FBR office.

Earlier, he demanded that salaries of municipal authorities, Sindh including Municipal Corporations, District Councils, Tehsil Councils, Union Councils and Union Committees will be transferred through online service in the workers’ accounts for eradication of ghost employees and timely payment. 

KMC DEMOLISHES

10 SHOPS, FOUR HOUSES

The Anti-Encroachment Cell of the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) demolished 10 shops and four houses in Liaquatabad Unit 5 area here the other day.

Director of Anti-Encroachment, Mazhar Khan, who led the operation, told that the drive was being carried out to implement a Sindh High Court’s order to remove illegal encroachment from the KMC’s property. He told that during the demolition process, 10 shops were razed while 10 others and four houses were given 24 hours deadline to clear their goods from the structures before they were demolished.

According to him, the shopkeepers and residents resisted the move but the team successfully demolished the structures built on illegally occupied land.