HYDERABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) member of National Assembly, Sabir Kaimkhani, has said that no development works havebeenexecutedinthecityfor the past 15 years although Sindh government is spending Rs1,200 billion out of which at least Rs500bn should be set aside for Karachi and Hyderabad.

Kaimkhani, who is also the parliamentary secretary for maritime, said at a pre-budget seminar organised by Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) here on Monday that the chamber had presented productive budgetary proposals and his party would try its level best to get all of them included in upcoming feder al budget.

He said that Hyderabad`s dryport was about to be closed down but for his party`s efforts. They persuaded the government not only not to shut the port but also provide better facilities to Hyderabad`s industrialists at par with Karachi`s, he said.

He said that earlier, proposals of traders and business community were made part of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) law.

He urged business community to liaise with parliamentarians for the redressal of their problems, which would be taken up at all forums. There were several issues but despite them a link road would be built out of federal funds at a cost of Rs1.5bn in Gulistan-iSarmast in Latifabad area, he said.

He said that due to cost escalation certain problems had piled up. Business community shouldalso approach the Sindh government to seek funds for Hyderabad city`s development as no development works had been executed in the city for the past 15 years despite Sindh government spending Rs1,200bn annually.

Muttahida`s Sindh Assembly member Nadeem Siddiqui said thatfor the last15 years budgetary proposals for development of Hyderabad had not been included in the federal budget.

He said that some proposals had been submitted again for inclusion in Sindh government`s budget for 2023-24. He hoped that the schemes proposed by traders would be included in the budget.

He said that many bazaars and industries remained shut in the wake of heavy rain and flooding last year. Despite that the business community had participated in relief work in addition to continuing to pay wages to workers,which was indeed appreciable, he said. After the Sindh government had declared Hyderabad calamity-hit, it should have given relief to business community in terms of taxes of Sindh Revenue Board, Excise and Taxation and other provincialtaxes,he said.

HCCI president Adeel Siddiqui calledforincreasingtaxrecovery instead of raising percentage of taxes. Glass bangle industry had once again been slapped with sales tax although this industry was providing employment to 500,000 persons, he said and demanded withdrawal of the sales tax on bangles industry.

He said that 50pc cold storages in Punjab had closed down, hence industrialists should be consulted for the imposition of cold storage charges. Parameters should be determined for filing tax and harassment of traders in the name of auditshouldbe stopped.