Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani has stated that most departments attached to his ministry are paying pensions to retired staff, but unresolved dues from the past remain a major burden.

While speaking during the Question Hour of the Sindh Assembly session on Friday, the minister accused former Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar, who belonged to the MQM, of misappropriating pension funds for other purposes.

He said the Sindh government allocates Rs1.2 billion monthly to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) for salaries and pensions. While KMC’s pension payments are now regular, there is Rs13 billion in outstanding dues, with payments made up to July 2017 and subsequent dues still pending. Ghani clarified that KMC is responsible for paying the dues of District Municipal Group (DMG) employees until 2023, while cities have to handle dues for new employees.

The minister further revealed that the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) owes its employees Rs3.8 billion in unpaid dues since September 2020. Despite this, the Sindh government provides Rs400 million monthly to the KDA for salaries and pensions.

On sanitation, Ghani revealed that a Chinese firm’s contract for waste collection in District East was not renewed because the firm refused payment in Pakistani currency. Other contracts have been adjusted to ensure that payments are made in rupees to control expenditure.

Responding to complaints by MQM-Pakistan MPA Amir Siddiqui about poor sanitation in Jamshed Town, Ghani admitted that the entire District East is facing similar problems. He added that door-to-door garbage collection has not yet started. Employees transferred from cities to the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board were permanent employees who were reassigned to other duties, while some “ghost employees” were fired.

On the issue of toll parking, the minister clarified that KMC and some cities have designated parking areas. However, illegal parking enforcement falls under the jurisdiction of the police and law enforcement agencies, not the local government department.

Ghani said Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) has Rs5.1 billion in outstanding dues from July 2020 to December 2024. This includes Rs2.1 billion owed by various government departments and Rs2.5 billion claimed by KMC. Federal institutions also owe KWSC Rs12.5 billion, which is currently being reconciled.

Sindh Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, who also spoke in the Assembly’s Question Hour, announced important developments in public transport.

The minister also touched on cycle lanes and said that while the idea is laudable, it is more feasible in cities with less traffic congestion. He said bicycles are allowed on red and green lanes, but Sharae Faisal remains unsuitable due to frequent misuse of footpaths for motorcycle parking.