KARACHI: Demanding financial compensationforthelossesincurred by Karachiites due to heavy rains, the Jamaat-iIslami (JI) has asked the government to give Rs2 billion to each town municipal corporation (TMC) in the metropolis.

Speaking at a press conference here on Saturday, JI-Karachi chief Monem Zafar once again asked the government to give a Rs500 billion package for development in Karachi.

He said that the JPs nine TMCs received an average of Rs907 million per month under the Octroi Zila Tax, whereas 78 per cent of the total amount, Rs703m, was spent on salaries alone and the remaining amount was used for fuel, medical expenses, pensions, and other obligations.

Justifying his demand for Rs2bn for each town, he said in the fiscal year 2023-24, the expenses of Gulshan Town exceeded the OZT allocation, which the town covered from its own resources.

He said that it was the Pakistan People Party`s government`s mismanagement and incompetency, and not rains, that drowned Karachi.

He stated that the PPP had taken control of all major institutions in the metropolis, including the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation, Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, Sindh Building Control Authority, Karachi Development Authority and Malir Development Authority.

`The city generates 20,000 tonnes of garbage daily and it is no longer a secret that how much is actually disposed of and how much ends up in drains,` he said.

The JI leader said that during the recent spell of rains, citizens spent up to eight hours on roads, all underpasses were flooded, power outages occurred and people died from electric shocks. `Who will compensate the families of these victims? he asked.

He slammed the K-Electric for prolonged outages and said that according to the National ElectricPowerRegulatory Authority`s regulations, `if a few individuals default on their bills, the whole population cannot be punished` in the name of loadshedding.

He said that incomplete projects like Red Line or the Karimabad underpass had become a burden on citizens as no project had any set deadline for completion.

He said that the Karachimayorhadrebuilt Jahangir Road three times, yet it collapsed with every rainfall.